DOHA: Heart Hospital (HH) of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has conducted 20 robot-assisted heart surgeries this year. Moreover, 56 robot-assisted coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgeries had been conducted at the hospital since 2009. This was disclosed at the recently held Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery Conference 2015.
The event organised by the HH featured experts from the US, Turkey and the GCC countries. Dr Abdulwahid Al Mulla, Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at HH and Chairman of the organising committee said: “The conference was aimed at sharing the latest advances in robot-assisted and minimally-invasive cardiothoracic surgery, as well as recent developments in this field in Qatar. It also offered an opportunity for cardiothoracic surgeons from GCC countries to hold a meeting, on the sidelines of the event, to discuss future collaborations in robotic and minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery.”
The conference featured eight research abstracts from Qatar, including a study on endovascular aortic repair — a modern alternate to surgical repair, presented by Dr Hassan Al Thani, Head of Trauma and Vascular Surgery at HMC. Giving presentation on minimally invasive mitral valve surgery in Qatar, Senior Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at HH, Dr Ali Kindawi said that this type of surgery has been successfully introduced at the hospital as an advanced management technique that can be used in place of traditional surgery, in some cases.
“Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery provides an excellent solution for many heart patients, as it is performed through minimal surgical thoracic incision. In addition, this type of surgery reduces the length of stay for patients in the hospital and prevents the potential complications of open heart surgery. Patients are usually able to return to their homes soon after and engage in their regular daily activities,” Dr Kindawi said.
Dr Kindawi added that the hospital has built a multi-disciplinary team consisting of two surgeons, an anaesthesiologist, a respiratory therapist, a technician and four nurses, who undergo ongoing training to manage this type of surgery. Dr Rashid Mazhar, Senior Consultant in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Heart Hospital spoke about the Qatari experience in minimally invasive thoracic surgery, highlighting that 20 robot-assisted heart surgeries were conducted at the hospital this year.
The Peninsula
