Open Heart Surgery: New Technology, Faster Recovery

Hearing your doctor mention open heart surgery can be frightening. In the past, while open heart surgeries could easily benefit the overall health of a patient, they could also require significant recovery time. Much like the technology that you use for entertainment, such as television, cell phones, and computers, the technology surrounding healthcare procedures continues to evolve.

With these advancements now reaching heart care, the fear of open heart surgery and its dreadful recovery time could be a thing of the past.

Michael Tuchek, DO, a fellow of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and a cardiothoracic surgeon at Franciscan Health Crown Point, explains what you may not know about open heart surgery.

What Are Recent Innovations In Open Heart Surgery?

Recent innovations in open heart surgery include:

• Smaller incisions
• Better pain management
• Faster recovery
• New surgical technologies

Smaller incisions for open heart surgery

Open heart surgeries used to be more invasive, which resulted in longer times for patients to recover. Surgeries can now be minimally invasive with shorter recovery times due to new technology such as robot-assisted surgery.

“We have robots for several procedures these days,” Dr. Tuchek said. “The help of these robots improves the accuracy in finding a tumor, for example. You remove it with no big incisions since it’s all done robotically.”

Dr. Tuchek explained that these robots aren’t entirely handling the surgery. They are designed only to assist the surgeon.

“I think the biggest complaint patients have about any operations have to do with large incisions, which they equate to more pain and longer recovery, but that just isn’t the case anymore,” Dr. Tuchek said.

Better pain management

Today, professionals start with nerve blocks, which will stop the pain before any incisions are made.

“We use better anesthetics during surgery and we close, not with sternal wires, but with sternal plates,” Dr. Tuchek said.

Faster recovery from open heart surgery

These modern methods for anesthesia and closing result in less pain after the procedure and a noticeably quicker recovery time. Dr. Tuchek even states that many open heart surgery patients are able to return home within 2 to 3 days, even after a triple bypass and start driving again after 1 week instead of the expected 6 weeks.

Additionally, patients should be comfortable with only using Tylenol after surgery instead of heavy narcotics due to the effectiveness of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery program or ERAS.

“It’s a program designed to prehabilitate patients, that is to get them tuned up before surgery through better nutrition, more activity if they’re physically capable and if their disease process allows it,” Dr. Tuchek said. “A bit like training for that 5K race. We do essentially the same thing now preparing for any kind of surgery, but instead we’re preparing that patient for their sort of personal health race.”

New surgical technology

Surgeons are now able to perform advanced procedures with better accuracy thanks to the improvements in technology and surgical tools.

“There are several techniques that we currently use in the operating room that did not exist back in the day,” Dr. Tuchek said. “As of today, we have advanced devices for the heart that can protect it. With this added protection we’re able to finish procedures faster and it minimizes risks like congestive heart failure or arrhythmias after surgery.”

Dr. Tuchek mentions how even after surgery, he has access to technology that allows him to see all the patient’s vitals at home securely on his cellphone, so he can monitor his patients’ condition after surgery and reach out when necessary.

Alongside minimally invasive techniques, Dr. Tuchek explains how advancements in surgical tools and technology allow surgeons to do procedures such as correcting an aneurysm or a heart valve replacement without opening the patient's chest or using a heart-lung machine.

“It truly becomes a team sport with all these new technologies,” Dr. Tuchek said. “Anesthesiologists, cardiologists, surgeons, nurses and perfusionists all work together. You can’t play baseball with just a pitcher, you need that full team.”

“Part of the team at Franciscan isn’t just the specialists; it’s also the technology they use," Dr. Tuchek added. “Together, we’re able to diagnose and treat patients with advanced diseases.”

Why Should I Have Complex Heart Procedures At Franciscan Health Instead Of Academic Centers?

Complex heart procedures were historically performed at academic centers for several reasons. Academic centers have capable specialists with experience handling complex procedures alongside advanced technology, research capabilities, and referral systems. Even so, Franciscan Health proves to be just as capable as academic centers.

With a multidisciplinary team of specialists similar to an academic center, along with less invasive procedure alternatives for more frail patients with the help of technology, Franciscan Health confidently acts as a one-stop shop for complex heart problems.

“You don’t have to drive to an academic center in a different state for that appointment a month and a half from now, you can just come right here locally and we’ll be happy to see you,” Dr. Tuchek said. “And because of our connections to the academic centers, if you really need a heart transplant for example, something that really needs to be done at an academic center, I can make that happen with one phone call. So, it really is that one-stop shop no matter how complex the heart problem is.”

Listen Now: Open Heart Surgery

Most of us know that many kinds of surgery, including joint and eye surgery, have become same-day procedures, with patients going home within 24 hours. But heart surgery? You may be surprised just how much more quickly you can go home after cardiac procedures these days and the techniques that have shortened hospital stays, quickened patient recovery and even reduced the amount of pain medication patients need after surgery.

Francsican Health cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon Michael Tuchek discusses advances in procedures and care that are getting patients treated and back to their lives more quickly than ever before.