Rajavithi Hospital has become the first hospital under the Ministry of Public Health to perform minimally invasive, multi-vessel coronary artery bypass surgery using robotic assistance.
The hospital, overseen by the Department of Medical Services (DMS), achieved the breakthrough through a procedure known as robotic internal mammary artery harvest with total coronary revascularisation via anterior thoracotomy.
The technique reduces patients’ pain and complications while speeding up recovery and shortening hospital stays.
DMS director-general Dr Weerawut Imsamran said Rajavithi Hospital was the department’s leading institution in robotic surgery and the first government hospital to pioneer the technology.
Robotic-assisted procedures are now used to treat various cancers and complex conditions involving multiple medical specialities, including prostate cancer, tonsil disorders, base of tongue cancer, liver and colorectal cancers, uterine fibroids, and heart diseases, he said.
The hospital has performed more than 1,600 robotic-assisted operations to date. Its latest achievement builds on its Robotic Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery Project.
Hospital director Arkom Chaiwerawattana said robotic-assisted surgery offered significant advantages over conventional open-heart surgery, which typically requires a 20-25cm incision through the breastbone.
He said up to four coronary arteries can be bypassed in a single operation.