Goya Raikar, M.D., Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital
The patient was a man in his sixties living in Northern Illinois. For several years, he had experienced atrial fibrillation — commonly called A-fib — a very common irregular heart rhythm that increases the risk of heart failure, stroke and other serious health complications.
With the help of his cardiologist, this patient had been managing his condition well. However, that changed recently when he began feeling unusually tired. Even his family noticed something was different. The patient initially thought it was his A-fib, but his cardiologist determined that his mitral heart valve wasn’t functioning properly. He referred the patient to us for surgery.
The mitral valve is located between the left atrium and left ventricle, the two chambers of the heart responsible for pumping oxygenated blood to all parts of the body. If the mitral valve isn’t functioning properly, the heart must work harder to perform its job. Research has shown that repairing severely leaking mitral valves sooner rather than later improves patient survival.
Advanced, minimally invasive surgery
When a patient’s cardiologist discusses heart valve surgery, they typically refer to traditional open-heart surgery, which involves a large chest incision and splitting the breastbone. During this three-hour procedure, the patient is connected to a heart-lung bypass machine. Following surgery, the patient usually spends eight to ten days in the hospital. Even after two or three weeks at home, many patients continue to experience pain, are unable to lift heavy objects and have difficulty driving. Full recovery can take up to three months.
At Froedtert South, we perform most mitral valve repair surgeries using minimally invasive techniques with surgical robots. Not long ago, this approach was considered nontraditional surgery. Today, it’s the gold standard for mitral valve repair, although many patients are still unaware of this.
With our robotic approach, the operation time remains about the same, but the hospital stay is reduced by half, lasting only three to four days. Better yet, after just two to four weeks of recovery, most patients can return to work and get back to their normal activities.
A record of success
The robotic valve repair operations I perform have success rates twice as high as those of older procedures performed by other surgeons. That is partly because the surgical robots we use magnify tissues and structures by tenfold, allowing me to see much more clearly while performing these delicate procedures.
The ten-year outcomes of robotic mitral valve repair are significantly better than those of traditional heart surgery. Patients require fewer blood transfusions, experience fewer irregular heartbeats after surgery and have a lower risk of stroke. While my patient from northern Illinois was still in the hospital, he told me he already felt better than he had in ten or fifteen years. He was discharged after just four days.
At Froedtert South, we have been performing robotic surgeries for over twenty years. Our team of six — including me, along with our cardiac nurses and anesthesiologists — is in the operating room for every procedure. Our expertise and experience compare to the best-known hospitals in the country. In fact, teams from other medical centers come here to observe our methods as they establish their own programs.
Other than here at Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital, the nearest medical centers performing robotic heart valve repair surgery that I am aware of are in Minnesota and Chicago. For patients and their families living in this area, it is so much easier to come to Pleasant Prairie, close to home, than to travel to these major urban centers.
Don’t delay
Valve disease can sneak up on some patients. They might begin to feel fatigued and attribute it to aging. However, the underlying cause may actually be a leaky heart valve. Such patients should consult their cardiologist, who can perform a non-invasive echocardiogram to diagnose any valve issues.
I especially encourage patients who need valve repair to advocate for themselves and seek a second opinion before undergoing traditional valve repair surgery. Since medical records are all electronic now, it’s easy for us to take a look at a prospective patient’s echocardiogram and give them our expert opinion on whether robotic surgery is an option for them.
Our robotic surgery technology keeps improving. The required incisions are smaller, and the dexterity of our fifth-generation robot is better than twenty years ago when I first started performing these operations. These improvements are enabling us to perform even more complex repairs.
As a team, we are so very proud of what we’re accomplishing for people who live in our communities.
Visit froedtertsouth.com for more information.
About mitral valve prolapse
According to health experts:
- It is the most common cause of mitral valve disease.
- It affects two to three percent of people in general — about seven to ten million Americans.
- Common symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue or rapid heartbeats.
- Complications from the condition can include heart failure, irregular heart rhythms and stroke.
