Pune: City doctors have achieved a notable breakthrough in cardiac care by successfully performing a robotic left atrial myxoma excision — a complex heart-tumor removal carried out entirely through keyhole ports using a surgical robot, which the medical team involved said is a first for the city.
Patient and Diagnosis
The patient, a 55-year-old resident of Wagholi, was found to have a non-cancerous tumor in a chamber of her heart during a routine check-up in March this year. Although benign, this left atrial myxoma, one of the most common primary cardiac tumors, can trigger stroke or severe breathlessness in symptomatic patients. Surgical removal remains the only definitive treatment, said doctors.
Surgery Details
The patient was admitted to the Noble Hospital in Hadapsar on April 5 and underwent the surgery on April 7.
Dr Dhairyasheel Kanase, senior cardiac surgeon at Noble Hospitals and Research Centre, led the surgery. He said, "Conventionally, this procedure requires a median sternotomy, in which the breastbone is split open to access the heart. However, we performed it through a few small port incisions. After the patient was placed on the heart-lung machine and the heart stopped, the surgical team entered the left atrium under high-definition 3D vision, precisely excised the tumor from the heart wall, and robotically sutured the defect with 10x magnification accuracy."
Benefits of Robotic Surgery
Explaining the advantages of this tech, Dr Ashish Pokharkar, senior oncosurgeon and part of the surgical team, said, "Robotic cardiac surgery translates into significant patient benefits with substantially less post-operative pain, faster recovery, shorter hospital stay, minimal blood loss, and small port-site scars in place of a long sternal scar."
Dr Pokharkar added, "This success opens the door to a far wider portfolio of robotic cardiac procedures. Clinicians anticipate that the same techniques will soon extend to robotic atrial septal defect (ASD) closure, robotic valve replacement and robotic-assisted bypass surgeries, making advanced cardiac care less invasive, more precise, and far more accessible to patients globally."
Recovery and Discharge
Dr Kanase further said, "The patient's heart condition improved much faster compared to an open heart surgery. She was fine within two to three days. She was discharged on April 16 following additional treatment for another ongoing condition."
Medical Team
The surgical team also included Dr Aniruddha Dhekane and Dr N Jadhav. Anaesthesia was managed by Dr Samrat Madnaik and Dr Permita Dikshit, while the heart-lung machine was managed by Shashikant Kale.
Hospital's Vision
Dr Divij Mane, deputy managing director of Noble Hospitals, said, "Patients should not have to cross continents in search of excellence and our commitment is to bring that excellence to them. The world will increasingly look to Pune as a destination for advanced heart surgery, and we intend to lead that movement."
