Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery program performed at John Muir Medical Center

As part of John Muir Health’s Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery program, a minimally invasive thymectomy – removal of the thymus gland – was successfully performed recently at the John Muir Medical Center – Concord Campus. This procedure, designed to minimize trauma to patients, uses the latest generation da Vinci® Si Surgical System to help surgeons see vital anatomical structures more clearly and to perform a more precise operation.

“I spent several weeks researching the literature on the thymectomy procedure. I came to Dr. Dharan for a second opinion after being told by another physician that removing my thymus gland would require a surgery that would split open my sternum or chest bone”

“The less invasive nature of the procedure offers a tremendous benefit for patients because they experience less pain and scarring, less risk of infection and blood loss, shortened hospital stays, and faster recovery,” said Murali Dharan, M.D., a cardio-thoracic surgeon and medical director of the Cardiac Surgery Program at John Muir Health who performed the thymectomy using robotic technology. “Robots enable surgeons to have a wider degree and higher precision of motion in manipulating instruments, which results in smaller incisions and less trauma to the patient’s chest wall.”

John Muir Health has been at the forefront of providing robotic surgery options to patients since 2002. Surgeons at John Muir Health use two state-of-the-art da Vinci Si robotic systems, one at the John Muir Medical Center – Walnut Creek Campus and one at the John Muir Medical Center – Concord Campus, for a variety of urologic, gynecologic, gyneocologic/oncologic, and gastrointestinal procedures and now for thoracic procedures.

“The two widely used approaches for a thymectomy require fairly invasive incisions through the neck or a long 'Y' shaped incision between the chest and the breastbone,” said Wilson Tsai, M.D., a minimally invasive thoracic surgeon and co-director of the Thoracic Program at John Muir Health who assisted on the case. “When you have a minimally invasive thymectomy using robotic technology, you significantly decrease the impact of the surgery. It is like the difference between getting punched by a 5-year-old and getting punched by Mike Tyson.”

Gabriella Avina received a minimally invasive thymectomy at the John Muir Medical Center – Concord Campus. “I spent several weeks researching the literature on the thymectomy procedure. I came to Dr. Dharan for a second opinion after being told by another physician that removing my thymus gland would require a surgery that would split open my sternum or chest bone,” said Avina. “After meeting with Dr. Dharan and Dr. Tsai, I knew within minutes that they would be my surgeons. With the robot-assisted procedure Dr. Dharan and Dr. Tsai used, I was out of the hospital in four days with three very tiny incisions on the side of my chest. I am continuing to recover very well. I could not be happier with the care I received at John Muir Health.”

Armed with advanced high definition digital technology, the da Vinci® Si Surgical Systems feature four robotic arms: one has a tiny video camera and the others manipulate sophisticated surgical instruments. The robot is controlled by a surgeon seated at a monitor and console. The system provides the surgeon with the intuitive control, range of motion, fine tissue manipulation capability and 3-D visualization characteristic of open surgery, while simultaneously allowing the surgeon to work through tiny incisions typical of minimally invasive surgery.

Located in the upper chest behind the sternum, the thymus gland plays an important role in the development of the immune system. The thymus is usually very active in infants, but loses much of its function as a person gets older. A thymectomy is usually done when a patient is an adult.

SOURCE John Muir Health