Breakthrough Closed-Chest Heart Bypass Surgery Speeds Recovery

David Wunch needed coronary bypass surgery, but he worried that open-chest surgery would be painful and require a long recovery. He researched his options online. After learning that a surgeon at the University of Chicago Medical Center could successfully perform bypass surgery without opening his chest -- keeping his breastbone intact -- David traveled from Tulsa to Chicago for his care.

David had Totally Endoscopic Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (TECAB), a breakthrough approach to performing coronary bypass surgery.

Video: Robotic Heart Bypass Surgery: David's Story

David’s post-TECAB scars are tiny in comparison to an open bypass surgery scar. Compare the results

Achieved through tiny fingertip-size slits, this completely closed-chest procedure spares the breastbone and provides many benefits, from a faster recovery to less risk of complications. TECAB is performed with the assistance of the da Vinci Surgical System®, a sophisticated robotic device that works as an extension of the surgeon’s hands -- enabling the procedure to be performed with greater precision and control than hands-on surgery.

Many Benefits Over Traditional Bypass

Compared to traditional, open-chest bypass surgery, the benefits of TECAB are many, including:

• Faster recovery
• No splitting of the breastbone
• Significantly less pain
• Shorter hospital stay
• Heart continues to beat during the procedure
• No need for the heart-lung bypass machine
• Minimal blood loss and less need for transfusion
• Less trauma to the body
• Internal mammary artery grafts, rather than vein grafts
• Minimal scarring

David keeps up with his exercise routine.

Experienced Surgical Team

The cardiac surgery team at the University of Chicago Medical Center has more experience performing totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass surgery (TECAB) than any other team in the United States. Our cardiac surgeons are also highly skilled at performing minimally invasive procedures to repair or replace faulty heart valves, correct atrial fibrillation, and treat some forms of congenital heart disease, such as atrial septal defect.

Learn More

• Learn more about TECAB and watch a video animation of how TECAB is performed
• Sudhir Srivastava, MD, is one of the world’s leading authorities on robotic and minimally invasive cardiac surgery
• University of Chicago Medical Center cardiac surgeons offer a wide range of minimally invasive and robotic cardiac surgery procedures
• Because each person’s heart problem is unique, our surgeons offer different types of coronary artery bypass surgery

USA Today recently featured a story about robotic heart bypass at the University of Chicago Medical Center, which includes a slideshow and video of the TECAB procedure. »View the story