HSN pioneers 2 new cardiac surgeries in Ontario

Greater life expectancy, improved quality of life, reduced pain and scarring, quicker recovery times, less time spent in hospital, and fewer complications.

These are some of the benefits of two new cardiac surgical procedures that have been introduced at Health Sciences North (HSN).

Surgical teams recently performed HSN’s first minimally invasive aortic valve replacement through a mini-sternotomy, as well as HSN’s first mini thoracotomy to insert a left ventricular lead for cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Both procedures are new to Ontario and only performed in select major cardiac centres in the province.

The new procedures were introduced to HSN by Dr. Rony Atoui, a cardiac surgeon who has been recruited to Greater Sudbury and HSN in the past two years.

“Before now, patients had to travel outside of northeastern Ontario to get these procedures,” Atoui said, in a press release.

“Now there is no need to send these patients somewhere else; we can care for them closer to home. The numerous benefits of these new surgeries make them very worthwhile to our patients.”

In a mini-sternotomy aortic valve replacement, a small incision (six to seven cm) is made in the middle of a patient’s sternum (breastbone). Through the incision, the surgeon then performs an aortic valve replacement.

In standard aortic valve replacement surgery, the incision can be as long as 20 cm.

The advantages of this new procedure include decreased risk of infection and pneumonia, less irregular heart rate, less blood transfusion, less pain and scarring, improved respiratory function and a one- to two-day reduction in time spent in hospital recovering from surgery.

A mini-thoracotomy is a procedure in which the surgeon will make a small incision (six cm), implant an electrical lead directly on the left ventricle of the heart, and then connect it to a miniature defibrillator implanted under the patient’s skin.

The device will ensure the synchronized beating of the patient’s left and right ventricles. This surgery is used for patients with severe congestive heart failure.

Benefits to the patient include significant improvement in heart failure symptoms, reduced shortness of breath, fewer admissions to the hospital and increased life expectancy.

“Being an academic health sciences centre means we can recruit a leading cardiac surgeon like Dr. Atoui who can perform innovative procedures like these,” said Dr. Denis Roy, HSN’s president and CEO.

“First and foremost it’s good for our patients, and it also reaffirms our commitment to be innovators and leaders in health care.”