Adhesiolysis is facilitated by robotic technology in reoperative cardiac surgery

Over a 2-year period, 5 patients who required reoperative chest surgery underwent robotic adhesiolysis with the da Vinci (Intuitive, Sunnyvale, CA) system. Resternotomy was performed under direct visualization for coronary revascularization (n = 2) or valve replacement (n = 1). A fourth patient required coronary revascularization after a previous axilloaxillary bypass. The final case involved the preparation of a substernal pathway for a gastric pull-up. In all cases adhesions were taken down without injury to the underlying structures. All grafts were preserved, and all patients recovered uneventfully. Robotic adhesiolysis is a versatile technique that allows careful lysis of adhesions and minimizes the risk of major complication during reoperative chest surgery.