Robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery helps woman with rheumatic heart disease walk, cycle & perform light exercises just 3 days after procedure

Pune: A 46-year-old woman, who suffered from rheumatic heart disease, has got a new lease of life after undergoing a robotic-assisted minimally invasive mitral valve replacement. Treating doctors said she was able to walk, cycle and perform light exercises, just three days after the surgery.The patient had been suffering for nearly a year with breathing problems, irregular heartbeat, palpitations and increasing breathlessness while walking.The procedure was done at DPU Super Specialty Hospital on May 3. Instead of the traditional open-heart surgery, doctors used small cuts between the ribs and robotic instruments to replace the damaged valve. This avoided opening the chest through a large incision. Dr Ashish Baviskar, cardiac surgeon at the hospital, who led the procedure, said, “Traditional surgery typically involves cutting through the breastbone, which causes more pain, longer recovery time and visible scarring. In this case, the smaller cuts and minimal blood loss helped the patient recover much faster.”Dr Swapnil S Patil, consultant cardio-thoracic anaesthetist, said robotic cardiac surgery offered many benefits like less pain, shorter ICU stay, faster recovery and a quicker return to daily life. “Smaller cuts also mean a lower risk of infection. Within three days of surgery, the patient could walk, cycle and perform light exercises,” Dr Patil said.Bhagyashree P Patil, pro-chancellor of Dr DY Patil Vidyapeeth, said the patient was a farmer from Pune district, and quicker recovery was important as long bed rest means loss of income. “The advanced technique benefits people of all age groups by reducing physical strain and improving comfort and recovery,” she said.The patient said she was earlier worried about having a big scar and not being able to work again. “But the surgery not only treated my heart condition but also improved my quality of life,” she said.During her latest follow-up on May 30, Dr Baviskar confirmed that her breathlessness and palpitations had completely disappeared, and she was able to perform exercises comfortably at the hospital’s physiotherapy gym.Doctors Venuraj Warke and Ujwal Zambre were also part of the surgical team.