Doctors Medical Center Launches Robotic Heart Program

Modesto, Calif. – Doctors Medical Center is proud to announce that it has launched its robotic heart program. The hospital is one of only a few institutions in California to offer robotic heart procedures with similar capabilities to Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and UCLA.

Goya Raikar, M.D., Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Doctors Medical Center performed the first cases, along with the hospital’s experienced heart team. Dr. Raikar – who is fellowship trained – has more than 12 years of robotic surgery experience and has taught robotics to colleagues around the country. He performed the first robotic assisted mitral valve repair operation in Minnesota in 2006.

“I am excited to work with the heart team at Doctors Medical Center and provide comprehensive cardiac surgical options for the Central Valley,” Dr. Raikar said. “To offer this high level of healthcare for our heart patients in the community is something to be proud of.”

Robotic cardiac surgery is heart surgery done through very small cuts in the chest using the hospital’s da Vinci Xi Surgical System. With the use of tiny instruments and robot-controlled tools, surgeons are able to do heart surgery that is much less invasive than open-heart surgery (no cracking the chest open, less trauma to the body).

Robotic cardiac surgeries include a number of different procedures including coronary artery bypass, valve surgery, heart defect repair and tumor removal. Dr. Raikar performed coronary artery bypass and valve repair procedures as part of the launch of the robotic heart program at Doctors Medical Center.

The main benefit of offering robotic cardiac surgery at Doctors Medical Center is that patients do not need to travel to have these procedures. Because these surgeries are minimally invasive, other patient benefits may include less blood loss and trauma to the body, shorter hospital stay and faster recovery. Smaller and more precise incisions mean that patients can heal faster and return to activities more quickly. Patients who undergo traditional open-heart surgery may take at least several months to recover, while robotic heart surgery can be as soon as a couple weeks.

To learn more about cardiology care at Doctors Medical Center, click here.