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Chinese Doctors Succeed in Non-Thoracotomy Cardiac Surgery
By drilling three keyhole-size holes on the patient's right chest, Chinese doctors have successfully conducted non-thoracotomy surgery to treat auricular septal defects, a common congenital heart disease.
The doctors inserted a thoracoscope through the hole with a less than one centimeter in diameter to guide a blockade device into the cardiac atriums.
A healthy person's right and left atriums are separated by a complete diaphragm. However, auricular septal defects causes abnormal blood circulation and heart failure.
According to Beijing-based "Guangming Daily," that the surgery, conducted on April 30 by doctors at the Cardiovascular Surgical Department of Xijing Hospital in northwest China's Xi'an City, is the first of this kind in the world.
The 21-year-old female patient was discharged from the hospital five days after surgery and is reportedly doing well.
Compared with traditional surgical method to repair auricular septal defects, non-thoracotomy surgery can reduce both operational risks and suffering.
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