Pioneer in Robotic Cardiac Surgery Completes Milestone
Development and Perfection of Robotic-Assisted Mitral Valve Repair
Boon to Patients…
GREENVILLE, N.C. (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) June 23, 2008 --
Dr. W. Randolph Chitwood, Jr., a globally recognized cardiothoracic
surgeon, has performed his 400th robotic-assisted mitral valve repair.
Pitt County Memorial Hospital (PCMH), the teaching hospital for the
Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (ECU), was the site
for this landmark cardiac surgery on Friday, June 20. Chitwood has
performed more robotic-assisted mitral valve operations than any surgeon
in the world.
Eleven cardiac surgeons from across the country observed the historic
400th robotic-assisted procedure while attending a two-day training
program. Chitwood’s robotic-assisted surgery
training center at the Brody School of Medicine at ECU was the first
site in the U.S. to offer formal training in robotic-assisted mitral
valve repair procedures. This 400th milestone signifies the future for
robotic-assisted cardiac surgery, as surgeons are now being trained to
perform this highly complex mitral valve repair procedure through
Chitwood’s program.
“By integrating computer-enhanced technology
with the surgeons’ technical skills,
robotic-assisted procedures enable surgeons to perform better surgery in
a manner never before experienced,” said
Chitwood, president of the international Society of Thoracic Surgeons,
director of the East Carolina Heart Institute and professor of
cardiovascular surgery at the Brody School of Medicine at ECU.
Chitwood is a pioneer in the development and expansion of
robotic-assisted mitral valve repair surgery. In 1994, he began his
pursuit to improve minimally invasive cardiac surgery, specifically the
mitral valve repair procedure, and did the first minimally invasive
mitral valve repair in North America in 1996 at PCMH. Recognizing that
endoscopic methods already used in surgery on other parts of the body
could provide better visibility and access to the mitral valve, Chitwood
devised a set of special instruments to simplify the repair procedure.
In 1999, Chitwood applied his endoscopic expertise to robotic technology
and contributed to the development of the da Vinci®
Surgical System, a $1.5 million robotic surgical device made by
Intuitive Surgical of Sunnyvale, Calif. In 2000, Chitwood used the da
Vinci® System to
perform the first complete, robotic-assisted mitral valve repair in
North America as part of a multi-center, FDA-approved trial. It was the
second such procedure in the world. In November 2002, the FDA approved
the robotic-assisted mitral valve repair procedure and to date, several
thousand mitral valve repairs with da Vinci®
have taken place around the world.
For the complete media release containing more information on this
milestone and the mitral value repair procedure, visit UHSEast.com.
To download a media kit, including fact sheets, hi-res images and video
clips of the 400th procedure, an interview with Dr. Chitwood following
the operation and general B-roll footage, visit JenningsCo.ShareFile.com.
MULTIMEDIA GALLERY http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5715374
See the original story at: http://eon.businesswire.com/releases/robotic/chitwood/prweb1046544.htm
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