In a groundbreaking move, two teenagers with congenital heart disorders in Barcelona underwent the first robotic heart surgeries of its kind in Spain. Previously, young patients underwent invasive open-heart surgery, but this new technique is less invasive and reduces recovery time and aesthetic impact. The doctors at two hospitals in Barcelona used robotic technology to perform these surgeries, making small incisions in the chest to insert a camera and instruments needed for the operation.
Last year, Spanish doctors made strides in the medical field by completing the world’s first lung transplant using a robot, eliminating the need to break the patient’s ribs. Congenital heart disease, affecting approximately 1% of live births worldwide, results from abnormalities in the heart or blood vessels that occur during fetal development.
While robotic surgeries are limited by the size and age of children, successful interventions can restore normal heart function. Hospitals in Barcelona have established a congenital heart disease center to provide comprehensive care for children born with heart malformations throughout their lives. This multidisciplinary team of professionals aims to extend surgical techniques to the pediatric population in previously unexplored ways.
The new joint center has already successfully operated on five children, with the first surgery involving the removal of a heart tumor from a 6-year-old child. The doctors believe that this innovative approach will revolutionize pediatric cardiac surgery and improve outcomes for young patients with congenital heart disease.
Source
Photo credit www.euronews.com
