“We are visiting the KFSH&RC to perform robotic surgery on patients. This type of surgery is found very useful. That's why we are discussing the possibility of bringing it to this hospital," said Balkhy, who ranks second in the world in terms of the number of robotic surgeries performed by a doctor.
This is considered the best form of surgery in the world, as it is a minimally invasive technique. The procedure is done using robotic instruments and involves a “port access” technology providing great benefits to the patients, compared to open-heart surgery, said Balkhy.
"The use of this technique can help the patients to recovery quickly. For example, it entails a shorter hospital stay from two to three days, gives less pain and scarring, and ensures minimum risk of wound infections, less blood loss and fewer transfusions, faster recovery and a quicker return to normal activities within two weeks," he said.
According to Balkhy, the reason why the technique is preferred by heart surgeons is that it does not require opening the chest with an eight-to-12 inch incision as is done in the open-heart procedure.
"This minimally invasive technique can be used to treat a variety of heart conditions, including mitral valve prolapse, atrial septal defect, atrial myxoma and thrombi, coronary artery disease, cardiac and thoracic tumors," he added.
Through the traditional open-heart operation, the patient would need to stay at hospital for five to seven days. He would need three to four months to return to normal life, as he runs the risk of catching infection in the process of open-heart surgery.
Balkhy said the success of a robotic procedure is 95 percent, the same as in an open-heart operation.
“The robotic technique can be used on all kinds of heart patients. Obese people in particular will definitely benefit from this technique more than others," he added.
"I performed surgery on an American guy weighing 200 kg. The robotic technique prevented him from catching infection during the surgery," said Balkhy.
According to him, heart disease is increasing among Saudis because of their "wrong lifestyles." The growing incidence of diabetes is also leading to heart problems among people who tend to ignore sport or regular exercise.
