Dr. Danny Ramzy Leads Memorial Hermann’s First Robotic-Assisted Heart Surgery

Danny Ramzy, MD, PhD, FACC, FRCSC, FACS, professor and chief of cardiac surgery at UTHealth Houston Heart & Vascular, recently led a team to perform Memorial Hermann Health System’s first robotic-assisted heart surgery.

The surgical team removed a mass that was on the patient’s heart by making just four small incisions in the patient’s chest, instead of opening the chest. The robotic arms and a small camera were used to conduct the procedure.

“From a robotic console, we can control every single one of the robot’s movements. The robot’s arms allow for greater dexterity and visualization, which results in greater precision,” said Dr. Ramzy. “Additionally, the recovery is much faster because it is minimally invasive. Most patients can return to normal activities within a week.”

Patients typically spend three days in the hospital and are fully recovered within two weeks after a minimally invasive, robotic-assisted surgery. However, patients can spend twice as long in the hospital and can take up to six weeks to recover from an open procedure.

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