Patient successfully receives coronary bypass and valve replacement in single, less invasive procedure
The Weston Democrat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The multidisciplinary team at WVU Medicine’s WVU Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI) has performed another world-first robotic heart operation.
Utilizing the latest advances in the robotic cardiac platform developed and led by Vinay Badhwar, M.D., heart surgeons at WVU Medicine have now performed the first-ever combined valve replacement and coronary artery bypass operation, potentially signaling a new pathway for an expansion of heart surgery done robotically.
This recent surgical advancement follows a related procedure conducted in January 2020, when the same WVU Robotic Cardiac Program surgical team performed the first robotic aortic valve replacement operation (RAVR) via a similar tiny incision through the ribs in a patient’s right chest near the axilla, or armpit.
A blocked or leaking valve can lead to heart failure, a stroke, or worse, often requiring surgical treatment to replace the valve. When coronary arteries are blocked, patients may experience chest pain or a heart attack. These patients often receive a stent or open-heart surgery with coronary artery bypass grafting.
“Patients who have both valve disease and coronary artery disease have traditionally been treated by open-heart surgery performed through the breast bone,” Lawrence Wei, M.D., professor in the WVU Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, and one of the WVU Heart & Vascular Institute team members that helped to develop the novel approach, said.
