New York City-based NYU Langone is one of a few surgery centers in the U.S. that performs robot-assisted surgery for cardiac tumors.
NYU Langone uses the da Vinci Xi surgical robot for the procedures. The procedures are performed using three robotic components: a control console, a 3D visioning platform, and an instrument cart with a camera and three robotic operating arms. The surgeon sits at the console and guides the arms to perform the procedure.
The robotic surgery program is led by Didier Loulmet, MD. He was part of a 1998 team that performed the world's first robotic mitral valve repair and coronary artery bypass grafting operations. Since 2009, he has performed more than 1,000 robotic cardiac procedures.
Because the robotic procedure is minimally invasive, patients experience less bleeding, pain and need for narcotics, and have shorter recovery times.