News Releases
Surgeons Perform 1,500th Off-pump Bypass at
Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Memorial City
Houston, Texas, February 21, 2006 – A surgical team at Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Memorial City recently celebrated a milestone with the completion of its 1,500th off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
Cardiothoracic surgeons Donald Gibson, M.D., and Miguel Gomez, M.D., began using the off-pump technique in 1999 and have performed more of the innovative, beating-heart procedures than any other team in the Houston area.
“We began using the off-pump technique because of the advantages it affords patients, such as faster recovery and fewer complications,” Dr. Gibson said.
Traditional bypass surgery requires channeling the patient’s blood through a heart/lung machine and stopping the heart while vessels are repaired. More than 800,000 patients worldwide undergo this type of procedure each year.
Breakthroughs in the last decade, however, enable physicians to immobilize small sections of tissue and perform coronary bypasses without stopping the heart. This technique also requires a smaller incision than traditional bypasses.
Studies have shown off-pump techniques can reduce common complications and side affects associated with heart/lung machines, lowering the incidence of kidney failure and chest incision infections and minimizing the need for blood transfusions. These patients also generally spend less time in the hospital and recover faster, reducing medical costs.
While new technology makes beating-heart surgery possible, practical, and in many cases preferable to traditional bypass, the advanced procedure requires a higher level of surgical skill. As a result, the off-pump option is still used in fewer than 25 percent of coronary bypasses in the United States.
The team at Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Memorial City has further refined the off-pump technique by incorporating the advanced da Vinci Robotics System when appropriate.
“Surgical robotics allow the surgeons to access the heart through a series of small incisions between the ribs, avoiding a highly invasive breastbone incision,” explained Dr. Gomez, chief of the hospital’s surgery department. “With this less invasive technique, patients are usually out of the hospital within three days.”
“Over time, we believe that patient demand for less-invasive procedures which speed healing and reduce complications will drive greater adoption of both off-pump bypass and robotic surgery,” Dr. Gibson said. “We are proud to be on the leading edge of this patient-centered trend.”
The award-winning Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Memorial City opened in September as one of the nation’s most advanced heart facilities, offering leading-edge treatment and diagnostics in interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, cardiac surgery and robotic-assisted surgery. The 90,000-square-foot complex occupies three floors of the hospital’s new East Tower, with five interventional cardiac catheterization labs, an electrophysiology lab and a 28-bed catheterization holding and recovery area. Its 65 private patient rooms include three VIP suites with gourmet dining, luxurious décor, free parking and other premium amenities.
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