Mr Casula created and led the first NHS Cardiac Robotic surgery program at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London, in 2002 and continued his successful innovative robotic enhanced clinical work until 2009 when the cardiac unit was moved to the Hammersmith Hospital.
In 2002, Mr Casula performed the UK’s robotic coronary bypass operation without resorting to traditional chest opening techniques or the cardiopulmonary bypass machine.
Over the following years, he has provided the same successful surgery to circa 135 patients utilising minimal-access robotic techniques. At the same time, he has also lectured and taught these techniques to surgical colleagues in other European countries.In the first stage of the operation, the surgeon inserts three pencil-sized instruments into the patient’s chest between the ribs. These instruments are then connected to the surgical robot.
The surgeon sits at a robotic console and is able to see inside the chest through a tiny 3D camera. The camera images are magnified 15 times. The surgeon operates two joysticks, and his movements are then reproduced with the highest level of accuracy by the instruments previously inserted into the chest. The robot system offers the surgeon advantages compared to traditional surgical instruments, mainly the elimination of the surgeon’s natural hand tremor and the ability to create tiny movements.
From the console, the surgeon operates the joysticks, and his hand movements are accurately reproduced by the surgical robot.
Tiny healthy vessels such as the left internal mammary artery can be sewn to blocked blood vessels without stopping the heart using the OPCAB (off pump) technique.
To arrange a consultation with Mr Roberto P. Casula, please contact Mr Casula’s medical secretary on 0203 423 7498, or Cardiac Bookings team on 0203 423 7500, or via email at rcasulamedsec@ccf.org.
UK first robotic cardiac operation:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3039231.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/health/3039231.stm
