title: Computer-enhanced telemanipulation enables a variety of totally endoscopic cardiac procedures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Since its introduction in the field of cardiac surgery in 1997, computer-enhanced telemanipulation has been used in a number of different specialized areas. In cardiac surgery, various procedures have been successfully completed in totally endoscopic fashion ever since. Between June 1999 and January 2002, 75 closed-chest cardiac procedures have been performed at our institution using the da Vinci telemanipulation system.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 42 patients, a single-vessel totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass was performed on the arrested heart (left internal thoracic artery (LITA) to left anterior descending artery (LAD), n = 36; right internal thoracic artery (RITA) to right coronary artery (RCA), n = 6). 12 patients had different types of multivessel revascularization using both internal thoracic arteries. 8 patients underwent LITA-to-LAD grafting on the beating heart. 10 patients underwent closure of an atrial septal defect (9 direct, 1 patch). 3 patients received an epicardial left ventricular pacemaker lead, 2 of which were reoperations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall conversion rate to any kind of incision was 25 %. The last 26 LITA to LAD patients on the arrested heart had a conversion rate of 4 %. There were no mortalities, 3 patients required reexploration via a median sternotomy, and one patient suffered a hypoxemic brain damage. The first 22 TECAB patients demonstrated excellent graft patency in angiographic control upon discharge. None of the atrial septal defect (ASD) closures showed any residual shunt on the intraoperative transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE). Patients with end-stage heart failure had successful biventricular stimulation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our current experience confirms the feasibility of various totally endoscopic cardiac procedures with good clinical outcomes. After a steep learning curve, the conversion rate could be lowered to an acceptable figure. Some of these procedures at our institution became a reasonable treatment alternative in selected patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany. S.Dogan@em.uni-frankfurt.de
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dogan
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aybek
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mierdl
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kleine
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moritz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wimmer-Greinecker
mesh_terms: D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000601:surgery; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged