Recent advances in cardiothoracic surgery
Diet soda may be bad for your heart
A study presented at the American Heart and Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference found that diet soda drinkers are 61% more likely to have a "vascular event" than non-drinkers. Lifestyle and sodium may contribute to the higher association with stroke and vascular illness. Dr. Seenu Reddy, spoke with KENS 5's Deborah Knapp to explain the implications of the study. Dr. Reddy advised eating a well-balanced diet and drinking diet sodas in moderation.
View KENS-5 video |
Appointments and referrals – 210-450-0999 (2-10-11)
Transmyocardial Revascularization — Heart laser and bypass treats crushing chest pain: V. Seenu Reddy, MD, MBA, cardiothoracic surgeon, using a
procedure called transmyocardial revascularization, (TMR) is able to use traditional bypass procedures in conjunction
with a CO2 heart laser to eliminate chest pain and stimulate new blood vessel growth.
"During the same operation, we're able to both bypass the arteries that are
bypassable, and then on areas of the heart where the vessels were too small to
be bypassed, we created laser channels that are one millimeter in size and about
a centimeter apart," explained Dr. Reddy.
View KENS-5 video |
Learn more about transmyocardial revascularization
from the American Heart Association |
Patient Care - TMR
Appointments and referrals – 210-450-0999 (7-2-10)
HeartMate II™ offers new hope for heart failure patients:
Jay D. Pal, MD, PhD,
Cardiothoracic Surgery, is specialty-trained in heart transplantation and has extensive experience with mechanical
circulatory support, such as the HeartMate II™, which significantly improves survival for
extremely ill heart failure patients.
In January 2010, the FDA approved use of the HeartMate II™, which provides a
continuous flow left ventricular
assist system, powered by an electrical cable that
passes through the skin to a controller worn around the waist.
New
implanted heart pumps give hope to more heart failure patients — KENS-5 News story
HSC News article |
Read HSC Press Release
Appointments and referrals – 210-450-0999 (3-11-10)
Minimally invasive heart surgery reaping maximum benefits for San Antonio cardiac patients:
With traditional open-heart surgery, the
sternum is split and a bypass machine is used while the cardiothoracic surgeon operates on the
stopped heart. Minimally invasive heart surgery is performed through small incisions, typically between
the patient's ribs. V. Seenu Reddy, MD, MBA, Cardiothoracic Surgery, recently was interviewed by MySA.com regarding
the techniques and benefits of minimally invasive heart surgery.
In Galvan's surgery, Reddy worked directly on the heart through a hole between ribs.
He wore an LED headlamp and wielded long, thin tools as he settled in over the 5-inch hole exposing the beating heart. It would take a couple of hours to reroute a nearby artery that would feed the heart plenty of oxygen-rich blood.
"What attracted me to this surgery was because it didn't require a $2 million robot," said Reddy,
a faculty member at the University of Texas Health Science Center. "It requires a special retractor
that costs about $5,000."
Read complete story on
MySA.com |
SA Express News Video |
More about Dr. Reddy
Appointments and referrals – 210-450-0999
(2-23-09)
New heart surgery promises shorter hospital stay: Seenu V. Reddy, MD, MBA, performs first-time
minimally invasive heart surgery at Christus Santa Rosa. "This is a relatively newer technique," said
Dr. Reddy. Instead of opening the patient's chest, a small incision is made in the groin. Wires and
catheters are inserted through the incision, and will be used to insert a stent. Because this procedure
is significantly less invasive than traditional heart surgery, it is
especially useful for older patients who might not be in the best of health.
Read story on WOAI
Appointments and referrals – 210-450-0999 (2-10-09)
LONDON, England (CNN) -- More than a decade since it was first
pioneered, a technique that greatly reduces the trauma of lung surgery still
isn't widely used. But that finally may be starting to change, doctors say.
The less invasive form of surgery for lung cancer can significantly decrease recovery time when compared to open chest surgery. That not only allows patients to go home sooner but also can play an important role in reducing pain and preventing complications.
"The earliest I've seen someone going back to work after the procedure is one
week," Dr. Daniel DeArmond, an assistant professor in cardiothoracic surgery at
the University of Texas Health Science Center, said in regard to a patient of
his who underwent the minimally invasive surgery.
daVinci™ robotic surgery is available at Christus Santa Rosa NW.
Read CNN article |
More about Dr. DeArmond |
More about VATS and DaVinci™ Robotic Surgery
Appointments and referrals – 210-450-0999 (11-26-08)
For early stage lung cancer,
the da Vinci™ Robotic Surgical System may be the most effective, least invasive
treatment alternative to traditional thoracic surgical procedures.
Da Vinci™ robotic surgery is available at Christus Santa Rosa Medical Center. Read more ...
To perform a procedure, the surgeon uses the console's master controls to maneuver
the patient-side cart's three or four robotic arms (depending on the model), which securely
the instruments and a high-resolution endoscopic camera. The instruments' jointed-wrist design
exceeds the natural range of motion of the human hand; motion scaling and tremor reduction further
interpret and refine the surgeon's hand movements. The da Vinci System incorporates multiple, redundant safety features designed to minimize opportunities for human error when compared with traditional approaches. At no time is the surgical robot in control or autonomous; it operates on a "Master:Slave" relationship, the surgeon being the "Master" and the robot being the "Slave."
Appointments and referrals – 210-450-0999
