Robotic atrial septal defect repair and endoscopic treatment of atrial fibrillation

Computer (robotic) enhancement has emerged as a facilitator of minimally invasive cardiac surgery and has been used to perform portions of intracardiac procedures via thoracotomy incisions. This report describes the use of the da Vinci surgical system in two totally endoscopic ("closed chest") cardiac operations: atrial septal defect closure and pulmonary vein isolation of atrial fibrillation. ASD closure: Fifteen patients underwent repair of a secundum-type atrial septal defect or patent foramen ovale by a totally endoscopic approach, utilizing the da Vinci robotic system. Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was achieved peripherally. Cardioplegia was administered via the distal port of the arterial cannula after endoballoon inflation. Via three port incisions in the right chest, the entire operation including pericardiotomy; bicaval occlusion; atriotomy; atrial septopexy; and atrial closure was performed by a surgeon seated at a computer console. A fourth 15 mm port was utilized for suction and suture passage by a patient-side assistant. In one case, a recurrent shunt was identified and repaired on POD 5. Median ICU length of stay (LOS) was 20 hours, and median hospital LOS was 4 days. Atrial fibrillation surgery: This report also describes the pathway that we have pursued in the development of a totally endoscopic operation for atrial fibrillation. Beginning with animal models, we tested various ablative energy sources; methods of ablation; and minimally invasive approaches. This work has led to the development of a variety of minimally invasive surgical approaches including a totally endoscopic, robotically assisted beating heart procedure for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.