Multi-vessel cardiac bypass performed through small single incision

Surgeons at the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, Houston, Texas, perform multiple cardiac vessel bypasses through a single, small incision in the patient's side, reducing pain, recovery time and risk for infection. "This represents a big improvement on older versions of minimally invasive bypass procedures," said Dr. Mahesh Ramchandani, cardiac surgeon at Methodist."By approaching the heart from the patient's side, rather than going in directly over the heart, we can reduce trauma to the patient's ribs and we can see the heart better, which allows us to safely perform multi-vessel bypasses in one minimally invasive procedure," Ramchandani said.
Ramchandani has performed approximately 150 multi-vessel cardiac bypasses using this new approach, a technique he teaches to surgeons in a monthly hands-on, interactive class held in the Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation and Education (MITIE). He has trained more than 50 surgeons who have come to Methodist from across the world for his expertise