The surgical treatment techniques for mitral valve prolapse are constantly improving, and Westside Regional Medical Center is one of about 300 hospitals worldwide to offer the latest advancement – the robotic da Vinci ® S HD Surgical System.

The da Vinci S HD Surgical System is a dramatically different surgical technique that utilizes a set of robotic instruments and cameras placed at the surgical site through tiny incisions, some no longer than the diameter of a pen. Under the surgeon’s control, the arms of the da Vinci are more flexible and stable than a human hand. Further, the surgeon’s ability to see the operative site is vastly improved by the pair of tiny high-resolution cameras that magnify the visual field up to 10 times its actual size in three dimensions.

All of this makes heart surgery easier and less painful for patients than traditional surgery. In fact, patients who undergo surgery with the da Vinci system may return home as soon as two days following the procedure and resume normal activities in two to three weeks. Additionally, the precision of robotic surgery reduces pain, blood loss, and scarring.

“Before robotic surgery, I had to open the patient’s breast bone through a 12- to 18-inch incision,” says Harold G. Roberts, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S., Senior Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Westside Regional, who, as of last year, had performed more mitral valve repairs than any other surgeon in Florida. “Using the da Vinci technology, I’ve been able to repair mitral valves with much less surgical trauma.”

“I have used the da Vinci system for numerous mitral valve surgeries,” Dr. Roberts says. “So far, my repair rate has been 100 percent with the use of this equipment. The outcomes have been excellent, and my patients have been pleased.”

“The da Vinci ® S HD Surgical System provides a way for us to minimize the recovery time, disfigurement, and blood loss associated with standard open-heart surgery. Having this surgical tool speaks volumes about Westside Regional’s commitment to staying on the leading edge of quality cardiothoracic surgical care.”