Patients in Good Health

First at Linz University Hospital: Robotic Heart Surgery

It was a bustling scene in the operating room at Kepler University Hospital in Linz: The team for the two surgeries consisted of a total of ten people—including a robot named Da Vinci.(Bild: KUK/Sulzbacher)

Four small incisions instead of a large opening in the chest: At Kepler University Hospital in Linz, two bypass surgeries have been performed for the first time with the assistance of a robot. For patients, this means one thing above all else: less pain and a significantly faster recovery.

It’s just a few centimeters that make all the difference. Instead of opening the chest, surgeons work their way to the heart through four small incisions between the ribs. The delicate instruments are controlled by a robotic system—guided by a cardiac surgeon at a console. It is precisely this technique that has now been successfully used for the first time at the Kepler University Hospital (KUK) in Linz during two bypass surgeries. “This marks the beginning of a new era of keyhole heart surgery at the KUK,” says renowned heart surgeon Prof. Andreas Zierer.

Professor Zierer at the console used to control the robot.(Bild: KUK/Sulzbacher)

The patients were two men aged 54 and 84. Both procedures were successful, and both patients were able to be transferred to the general ward on the very first day after surgery. The younger patient was already mobile again and virtually symptom-free; according to the doctors, the older patient was also pain-free and could be mobilized quickly.

This avoids unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic steps, which promotes and accelerates the patients’ recovery.

Prof. Meinhard Lukas, Kepler-Uniklinikum

This is made possible by the so-called Da Vinci system. Contrary to a widespread misconception, however, the robot does not operate independently. Every movement is performed by the surgeon, who controls the instruments with millimeter precision from a console. The system transmits every movement precisely—without any tremor—to tiny instruments inside the chest cavity.

(Bild: KUK/Sulzbacher)

(Bild: KUK/Sulzbacher)

(Bild: KUK/Sulzbacher)

(Bild: KUK/Sulzbacher)

(Bild: KUK/Sulzbacher)

The major benefit for patients is that the chest no longer needs to be cut open. This eliminates the need for the sternum to heal, a process that often takes months. At the same time, patients lose less blood, the risk of infection decreases significantly, and post-operative pain is also considerably reduced. Many patients can leave the hospital sooner and return to their daily lives more quickly.

The main goal: to perform 50 percent of these surgeries with the robot
The surgical team was led by cardiac surgeon Prof. Andreas Zierer. For him, this first procedure marks the beginning of a new era in cardiac surgery in Linz. Robot-assisted bypass surgery has so far been performed only sporadically in Austria. With the new systems, it will be possible in the future to perform a significantly larger proportion of cardiac surgeries with the utmost care.

With this first procedure, however, the KUK does not want to rely solely on state-of-the-art technology. At the same time, the Heart Center is introducing the so-called ERAS concept. This involves a treatment pathway designed to prepare patients specifically before surgery and get them back on their feet as quickly as possible afterward. Doctors, nursing staff, physical therapists, and other professionals work closely together to accelerate recovery.

“This avoids unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic steps. It promotes and accelerates patients’ recovery and also makes our system more efficient,” says KUK Managing Director Meinhard Lukas. 

Health Commissioner Christine Haberlander (ÖVP) calls it an “impressive milestone.” “The use of state-of-the-art robot-assisted surgery impressively underscores the high level of expertise of our doctors and everyone involved, who make cutting-edge medicine possible in Upper Austria day after day,” she says.