TORONTO, Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — According to Millennium
Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology
market intelligence, cardiac surgeons are trying new innovative
approaches to traditional open heart surgery as they try to make
coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures less invasive where
possible.
Developments in CABG techniques have led to the introduction of
less invasive variations of CABG surgery. Minimally invasive direct
coronary artery bypass, for example, involves making a small
incision between the ribs in order to access the heart. Instead of
creating the necessary 10 to 12 inch incision to separate the
sternum, minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass keeps the
sternum intact and only requires a 3 to 5 inch incision.
Totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass is another minimally
invasive variation of CABG that makes use of Intuitive Surgical’s
da Vinci robot. The da Vinci can be used during
CABG procedures by inserting robotic instruments through small
incisions made in between the patient’s ribs. The robotic
instruments are able to provide the physician with a 3D internal
image, which has been magnified 10 times and mimics the hand
movements of the physician at the controls. While the advantages of
totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass, including reduced
patient recovery time and greater postoperative patient comfort,
are similar to those that result from minimally invasive direct
coronary artery bypass procedures, the use of a robot allows for
the procedure to be performed with greater ease.
“Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass procedures are
not appropriate for all patients though,” says Julie McLaughlin,
Analyst at MRG. “They only allow physicians to reach a limited
number of coronary arteries, therefore limiting the procedure to
patients who require only one or two vessel bypasses. These
patients can often be treated with stents, and physi
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