Shreveport, La.-based Christus Highland Medical Center completed the facility's first minimally invasive robotic-assisted heart surgery on Dec. 16.
Timothy Danish, MD, cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at Christus, and a surgical team used the daVinci XI Surgical System to perform a coronary artery single vessel bypass graft on a 68-year-old male patient, according to a Dec. 20 news release.
"The robotic approach of this procedure minimizes the trauma of the surgery," Dr. Danish said in the release. "There is a huge benefit to not having a full sternotomy, having the chest fully opened during the procedure. We anticipate that it will lead to a quicker recovery, a shorter hospital stay, and less pain for the patient."