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May 20124Advanced Minimally InvasiveCardiac Bypass Surgery at Catholic HealthJohn Bell-Thomson, MD, is one of a few surgeons in the nation to perform the TECAB procedure. Centered in above photo,Dr. Bell-Thomson reunites with his patient, Edward Zimmerman and his wife, Mary Ann. At left are: Julie LaManna,senior director of Cardiac Services; Penny Tirpak; Deborah Hetrick; Mercy President & CEO C.J. Urlaub; at right:Kristin Nigro; Jason Jankowiak, VP, Cardiac Service Line; Rebecca Klacko, Judy Keicher, and Brian Butler.Catholic Health’s Heart Center atMercy Hospital of Buffalo is one of justa handful of cardiac centers nationallyperforming Totally EndoscopicCoronary Artery Bypass Surgery(TECAB). TECAB is an entirely endoscopicrobotic surgery used to treatcoronary heart disease. It is an advancedform of minimally invasivecoronary artery bypass surgery thatallows bypass surgery to be conductedwithout opening the chest. Thetechnique involves three or four smallholes through which two robotic armsand one camera are inserted.Dr. John Bell-Thomson, chair of theCardiothoracic Surgery Department atMercy Hospital, is among just a smallnumber of surgeons in the United Statesperforming minimally invasive TECABsurgery using the da Vinci ® RoboticSurgical System. He has performedmore than ten TECAB procedures sincethe fall of 2011. On February 8, 2012,he successfully completed double coronaryartery bypass surgery for the firsttime using the TECAB procedure. Hispatient was able to return home fromthe hospital just two days later.“I am pleased to be able to offermy patients this new medicalbreakthrough in heart surgery,” saidDr. Bell-Thomson. “High-precisionrobotic-assisted surgery is helping uspioneer a new standard for coronarybypass surgery with significant benefitsto our patients, including fasterrecovery, less risk for complications,and less discomfort and scarring.”Following TECAB surgery, most patientsspend about one to three days inthe hospital and can usually eat, drinkand walk around within hours afterthe procedure. Besides eliminating theneed for a 6 to 10 inch incision downthe chest, the TECAB procedure allowspatients to return to normal activitieswithin two to three weeks after the surgery.In comparison, a patient undergoingtraditional, open chest surgeryexperiences a 5 to 7 day hospital stayand a 4 to 8 week recovery time.Catholic Health Surgeons at bothMercy Hospital of Buffalo and Sistersof Charity Hospital utilize robotictechnology for a variety of minimallyinvasive surgical procedures, includingcardiac, general, gynecological andurological surgery.