WHAT WE DO

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting and Hybrid Coronary Revascularization The positioning of three port placements for robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass. Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery is most often recommended to correct atherosclerosis (blockage of the arteries), which is usually caused by Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). It involves constructing new pathways around the blocked coronary arteries to restore the blood flow to the heart. This is accomplished by replacing the blocked area with a new vessel on either side of a blocked artery. Key benefits of CABG surgeries include: relief of the symptoms of coronary artery disease; prevention of myocardial infarction (heart attack); and preservation of heart function. One or two arteries can be bypassed without using a sternotomy (an incision in the front of the chest which involves cutting the breast-bone (sternum) to gain access to the heart which lies behind it), using the daVinci® S HD™ Surgical System. In this procedure, the robot is used to harvest the internal mammary artery behind the breast bone. A small 4 to 5 cm incision is made below the nipple to connect this graft to the coronary artery(ies) on the front of the heart. This is performed on a beating heart and the patient recovers much more quickly than a traditional sternotomy incision. This procedure is called Robotic MIDCAB (Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass). If there are more blockages that need to be bypassed, a multivessel MIDCAB can be performed using the internal mammary arteries from both sides of the chest. Another option at Hackensack University Medical Center is the Hybrid Revascularization, where the surgeon and the cardiologist collaborate to provide the patient a less invasive and more complete revascularization. In this procedure the Robotic MIDCAB is performed to bypass one or two blockages, followed by angioplasty and stenting of the remaining blockage by the experienced cardiologists using stents.