A San Antonio woman had her heart repaired on Friday at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa. But the surgeon who operated on her didn't use a scalpel to cut open her chest.
This is the first time doctors at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa are performing this procedure. Doctor Seenu Reddy, a UT Health Science Center faculty member, is operating on the heart of an 80-year-old woman.
Dr. Reddy says, “This is a relatively newer technology in the world of medicine."
Instead of making a large incision and opening her rib cage, Dr. Reddy is making a small incision near the patient's groin. Then, he inserts wires and catheters.
"Over that same wire and catheter we'll place a stent gram which will realign the vessel and we'll send it up the vessel after we've made our measurements," Dr. Reddy says.
While the procedure is complicated, Dr. Reddy says the patient will feel less pain and will have a shorter hospital stay. He also says procedures that are less invasive, like this one, are good for elderly patients who might not be in the best of health.
