He said, “We were discussing the approach, and I joked, ‘Hey maybe they’ll use robotics’.”

I was at work the next day when the phone rang [and the doctor] and said, “You’re a good candidate for robotic surgery.” ‘”

Jakab stayed up all night researching robotic surgery, a technique which is quickly gaining popularity in Canada.

Hip and knee replacements, spinal operations, and hysterectomies.

What’s the appeal? Robotic surgery

This can meansmaller cuts, less pain, lower infection risk and a faster recovery.

There was only one catch with this procedure – Jakab would become the first patient to receive robotic heart surgery in the Greater Toronto Area. He was not too worried and said that the benefits outweighed the risks.

The robot’s name was Da Vinci. The future is full with robots, so I thought, “Why not?” “‘”

On the 26th of March, Da Vinci, the robot, and a team of heart surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses performed the groundbreaking surgery — marking the first robotic cardiac surgery of its type in the Greater Toronto Area and one of just five across Canada.

While some might imagine robotic surgery to be a single robot, that’s not the case, according to Dr. Bobby Yanagawa. He is a heart surgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital and the head of its division of cardiac surgery.

According to Dr. Yanagawa, “It is the surgeon who controls the robot’s hands.”

“So it’s at a robotic console, there are nursing teams that are at the patient’s side, ready to intervene and also to help. There are anesthesia colleagues who are at the head of the table, keeping the patient safe during the operation.”

So, with a whole team involved, what’s the point of using the robot in the first place?

The advantage of the robot is that its instruments are much smaller than a surgeon’s hands, Yanagawa explained.

He said that robotic surgery allows for smaller incisions than traditional methods. The robot’s precision tools can fit through small openings, whereas a larger incision is usually needed to reach certain areas.

The incisions after robotic mitral surgery are so small, that even a year after the procedure, it is difficult to tell if the patient had surgery.

The 2023 study published by the

Journal of Thoracic disease compared the robotic-assisted open-heart surgery with the Da Vinci system. The researchers found that patients who underwent robotic procedures spent less time in ICUs and were discharged from the hospital earlier. Overall, the recovery outcome was better. The researchers noted that although the Da Vinci system was both safe and effective, it took some time and training to get the hang out of it.

Robotic surgery can be regarded as the pinnacle in heart surgery. I say this because the type of surgery that we do, mitral surgery through a large open sternotomy, requires a high level of comfort. “It takes about 200 cases [of practice],” Yanagawa said.

Although robotic surgery has many advantages, it requires highly skilled surgeons in order to operate it. The two cardiac surgeons, Dr. Daniel Burns, and Dr. John Luigi Bisleri who operated on Jakab’s heart, are the ones to thank.

Bisleri a cardiac surgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital and director of minimally-invasive cardiac surgery, assisted with the robotic surgery. He said robotic surgery was a vital tool in efforts to reduce patient trauma and improve recovery time.

He said that the real impact of robotic surgery is the faster recovery time compared to conventional surgery. Patients can also return to their normal activities much quicker.

Burns is a cardiac surgeon and clinician-scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital who studies organ injury and repair. He said that using the robot has many benefits, including better dexterity, and a clearer visualisation compared to the traditional approach.

One of the criticisms [of robotic surgery] that is often made is the lack tactile feedback. I can’t really feel what I’m trying to do. “It may be because I grew up as a gamer, but I found it very easy to overcome that hurdle,” he said.

Jakab reported that he woke after surgery with only a little pain. The first two nights were difficult, mostly due to the tubes, and he had some neck and back aches. But once the IV was removed, he felt much better. Then, things continued to improve.

The surgery was a complete success with no residual leak and a perfect repair of the valve. He was discharged the third day following the operation.

Patients recover faster after robotic surgery, because the robot allows surgeons to access the heart by small openings between ribs. Yanagawa explained. This could make recovery much faster.

According to him, patients could be up and running in a matter of weeks or days — a huge leap from the three to four month recovery time from a traditional surgery.

I told my wife that I couldn’t believe we were already home when we returned home. Jakab said, “I am not 100 percent, but I feel OK.”

Jakab’s experience was so positive that he offers some advice to anyone considering robotic surgery.

Just do it. He said, “I read about how robot surgery is more precise with less blood loss and easier recovery — that was what convinced me.”

Robotic surgery is still relatively uncommon in Canada, according to a 2022 study published in the

Canadian Journal of Surgery

At that time, 30 surgical robotics were operating in 14 cities and performing approximately 6,000 procedures each year. The study also noted the fact that robotic-assisted surgeries are not funded by Canada’s public health-care system, but instead rely on philanthropic support and research — a factor that limits wider patient access.

But Bislari and other surgeons believe that we are only scratching the surface in terms of what robotic surgery is capable of.

He said, “I believe this is going be an incredible tool that will continue pushing our ability to dramatically change how we treat cardiovascular disease.” “I think we’re going to see an exponential growth of these procedures, and further innovations which will continue to impact the care of patients.”

YANAGAWA agreed. He said that even though it is difficult to predict the near future, he still wanted to be a part of it. “We want to be a part of the business and we want the opportunity to lead the change,” said he.

The truth is, in Canada and around the world, less than 1% of heart surgery is performed robotically. We don’t want our country to fall behind if this number increases to 5, 10, 20, or 25 percent. We want to lead the way.”