title: Comparison of postoperative quality of life for patients who undergo atrial myxoma excision with robotically assisted versus conventional surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Robotically assisted cardiac surgery is an alternative to conventional, open-chest surgery. Although studies have been done on the clinical effect, morbidity, and mortality of robotically assisted atrial myxoma excision, few have addressed surgical outcomes, such as pain, quality of life (QOL), and length of sick leave from work. In this study, our aim was to evaluate these clinical variables among patients after they undergo robotically assisted atrial myxoma excision surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 2007 and January 2013, a total of 93 patients underwent either conventional sternotomy or robotically assisted atrial myxoma excision in our unit. The 36-item Medical Outcomes Study Short Form Survey was used to assess the clinical outcomes in these patients postoperatively, at day 30 and 6 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The QOL scores for 7 of 8 variables in the robotically assisted group were significantly higher than those in the conventional group at postoperative day 30 (P < .05). The degree of pain and its influence on work or life was lower in the robotically assisted group (P < .05), and these patients returned to work after 0.9 ± 0.1 months, whereas those in the conventional group needed a sick leave of 3.3 ± 0.4 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The level of restoration of normal QOL within 30 days after atrial myxoma surgery is excellent with the robotically assisted approach, which may enable early return to employment and satisfactory recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Minghui
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Cangsong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Huajun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: gaochq301@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Changqing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009232:Myxoma / Q000601:surgery*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D065287:Robotic Surgical Procedures
keywords: minimally invasive cardiac surgery; myxoma; quality of life; robotic surgery