Get ready to usher in a new era of cardiac care. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., but there's an innovative type of surgery that involves technology that's helping treat the heart, lungs and other organs in the chest.
Dr. David Cervantes, a cardiothoracic surgeon with Lee Health, joined Gulf Coast News to help us dive deeper into cardiothoracic surgery.
Cardiothoracic surgery is surgery of the heart, lungs and circulatory system. The heart and lungs are some of the body’s most vital organs. They provide blood and oxygen to the whole body, and it’s important to keep them functioning at optimal levels.
Some types of surgeries Lee Health does include minimally invasive heart and lung surgery, robotic heart and lung surgery, coronary artery bypass, mitral valve repair and replacement, aortic surgery, and more.
At the Shipley Cardiothoracic Surgery Center at HealthPark Medical Center, they have a minimally invasive lung surgery program that offers patients enhanced surgical experiences with improved outcomes and shorter hospital stays. Robotic surgeries are less invasive, allow for less time spent recovering in the hospital, less pain and smaller incisions. These surgeries include robotic lobectomies with the da Vinci Xi Surgical System, bronchoscopies, biopsies of tumors, masses, and more.
Lee Health also uses the daVinci for robotic coronary artery bypass surgery. It doesn’t require a heart-lung machine, and it uses a minimally invasive approach with only small incisions between the ribs, avoiding the need for a sternotomy or cutting through the sternum to access the structures within the chest cavity.
The Shipley Center is part of the Lee Health Heart Institute, which specializes in everything from primary and specialty care to advanced cardiac imaging, cardiac rehabilitation and more. It is the second-largest program in the state of Florida, performing over 1,500 surgical cases each year.
Visit Lee Health online to learn more about cardiothoracic surgery.