Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I consider da Vinci® Mitral Valve Repair?

There are some very important advantages to using the da Vinci System to repair your mitral valve compared to a conventional open or minimally invasive approach. Surgeons performing da Vinci Mitral Valve Repair are able to successfully repair more than 90% of mitral valves because the da Vinci System provides them with extended surgical capabilities. Specifically:

The superior high-resolution 3D vision helps your surgeon to see your mitral valve much better without the need to spread the patients’ ribs.
The da Vinci System’s robotic instruments move like a human wrist, providing unparalleled precision and dexterity, making it possible to perform more complex repairs – specifically those that involve more than one leaflet or chord.
Your surgeon is seated at a console and always in full control of the instruments micro-movements. This makes the operation intuitive for the surgeon and allows him/her to fully concentrate on repairing your mitral valve.
The assistant has complete access to the mitral valve and can assist during complex steps of the procedure.
Surgical tasks can be greatly facilitated and the patient has a much higher probability of receiving an effective repair rather than a prosthetic valve.

With a valve replacement operation, I would receive a brand new prosthetic valve. So why would it be better to repair my damaged valve?

Mitral valve repair shows potential lifelong benefits for you when compared to a valve replacement. For example, for patients who receive mitral valve repair, there is a lower risk of mortality and a higher long-term survival chance.

During your operation, your surgeon can preserve your natural mitral valve tissues, improving the function of your left ventricle, allowing your heart’s muscle to retain its strength and help you avoid future heart failure. A mitral valve repair also provides better durability as compared to prosthetic valves. This means that patients whose valves are repaired have less risk of later valve failure, reducing the likelihood of additional surgery.

Another added benefit, since your surgeon fixes your leaky valve without the use of a prosthetic valve, there is no need for a lifelong blood-thinner medication. Overall there are fewer complications associated with mitral valve repair and you can return to your normal activities faster.

Why does the da Vinci Surgical System work well for a mitral valve repair?

With the da Vinci Surgical System, your surgeon uses 3D vision rather than 2D, allowing for 10 times the magnified view of the operating field, enabling an excellent view of delicate tissue and organs. In addition, the system is “intuitive” meaning that when your surgeon moves the controls to the right, the da Vinci System’s EndoWrist® instruments move to the right as well, giving your surgeon natural hand-eye coordination.

The da Vinci Surgical System’s EndoWrist® instruments are designed to be able to mimic the movements of your surgeon’s hands and wrists, giving him/her excellent flexibility and control when operating on delicate tissue.

How is the da Vinci Mitral Value Repair procedure performed?

Your surgeon will make several dime-sized incisions which will allow him to insert a high-resolution camera and robotic-assisted instruments into the right-side of your chest. Your surgeon can then see a magnified view of your heart and surrounding anatomy, which will allow him/her to perform a precise and delicate operation.

While sitting at the console of the robotic system, your surgeon is able to view the mitral valve as a three-dimensional, high-resolution, magnified image. Using master controls, the system directly translates your surgeons hand movements into precise micro-movements of the instrument tips. Specialized instruments increase dexterity, and help your surgeon to preserve the natural mitral valve tissue, allowing complex repairs of leaflets and chords.

Fitting through small incisions, the EndoWrist instruments of the da Vinci system move like a human wrist. This allows your surgeon to control the instruments with the precision necessary to repair your mitral valve.

How quickly should I expect to recover from the procedure?

Because da Vinci Mitral Valve Repair is a minimally invasive surgical treatment, you will be able to go home earlier and return to your regular activities more quickly than with other approaches. Most patients are able to resume normal activities in one or two weeks.

Content provided by Intuitive Surgical. For more information on this topic, please visit www.davincisurgery.com.

While clinical studies support the use of the da Vinci® System as an effective tool for minimally invasive surgery, individual results may vary.