Live, From the Cleveland Clinic: Mitral-Valve Repair
(Replay of Surgery Performed on Oct. 2, 2007)
Hosted By:
Dr. Bernadine Healy, U.S. News health editor and cardiologist, formerly of the Cleveland Clinic
Dr. A. Marc Gillinov of the Cleveland Clinic, an expert in minimally invasive and robotically assisted heart valve surgery
The Surgeon:
Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic of the Cleveland Clinic, a specialist in minimally invasive and robotically assisted cardiac surgery as well as valve repair and replacement
Dr. Mihaljevic repaired a leaky mitral valve using a robotic device, going into the heart through a small incision on the right side of the chest. This type of surgery involves much less trauma to the patient than a traditional operation, in which the breast bone must be divided.
Following the surgery, Dr. Mihaljevic answered questions in a live online chat. Here's the transcript.
