Minimally Invasive Surgery For Mitral Valve Prolapse

Mitral valve prolapse is a valvular heart disease marked by an improperly functioning heart valve. When a patient is faced with this issue it is most often met with open heart surgery. Open heart surgery means a large cut (and scar) down the middle of the chest, cutting through muscle and bone, risk of infection and long recovery times. It is not ideal. Fortunately, doctors at Sacred Heart Hospital are now getting heart-valve repair with an advanced and less invasive technique. The stay in the hospital is smaller, recovery time is quicker and less painful, and the scar is very small.

This new technique for heart-valve surgery is radically different than open heart surgery, but is showing the same, positive results. It involves a mere two-inch incision on the right side of the chest, between the ribs. This small incision does not involve cutting into any muscle or bone, and therefore decreases the risk of infection. On top of this, doctors are saying that the small incision actually makes it easier for the surgeon to see and treat the leaking heart valve than a huge, open chest method. The mitral valve faces the right shoulder blade, therefore the small incision is the perfect spot to reach the valve easily.





Return to:

Social Security Disability Secrets

Social Security Disability Benefit Questions




Other Posts

Who is eligible for SSI disability?
Applying for Disability Through SSI, it is Evaluated The Same as SSD
How do I win SSI disability?
When should you file to receive SSI or SSD?
Filing for disability, how to file
Mental impairment disability qualifications

Return to:

Social Security Disability Secrets

Social Security Disability Benefit Questions

The Da Vinci Robot and mitral valve prolapse, lung surgery, kidney disorders, etc

In 2000 a special robot was approved by the FDA for use in surgery. The robot is called the da Vinci robot and was first used for laparoscopic abdominal procedures, including severe heartburn and to help remove the gallbladder. Since then, the da Vinci robot has become increasingly popular for a whole host of other surgeries including cardiothoracic surgery, which is used to treat mitral valve prolapse.

The da Vinci robot assists surgeons with surgical procedures. In fact, when using the da Vinci robot, surgeons aren’t present in the operating room when surgery in being performed. First, they insert a special camera and miniature surgical instruments inside the patient through small incisions. Then, they sit outside the operating room at a console equipped with a high definition 3-D camera that allows them to see what is taking place. They use rings to maneuver the instruments – much like a remote control.

The da Vinci robot is now used for prostatectomies, hysterectomies, cardiothoracic surgeries, treatment of kidney disorders and bladder cancer, as well as lung surgeries. Recently the robot was featured in a study to determine whether or not it could be useful for removing tumors around the larynx, oral cavity and throat. The study showed that the surgical robot was indeed helpful; nearly 81 percent of the patients in the study had successful surgeries that removed cancerous tumors.
The robot has helped to reduce the amount of ‘open surgeries’ that are needed and less invasive than most other options. The recovery time is much shorter – three days or less for most patients in the study.





Return to:

Social Security Disability Secrets

Social Security Disability Benefit Questions



Other Posts

How Long can it Take to get an SSD Hearing (social security disability)
Is it Easier to get Social Security Disability if you are a Veteran?
What Will Happen If I Draw Disability Benefits, Work, and do not tell Social Security?
SSI eligibility disability qualifications

Return to:

Social Security Disability Secrets

Social Security Disability Benefit Questions