Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Heart Institute have achieved a major milestone in pediatric heart care, completing the first robotics-assisted atrial septal defect (ASD) repair in a pediatric patient in Florida, and one of only a few such procedures performed nationwide.

The procedure highlights the power of collaboration between two leading cardiovascular programs, combining Baptist Health’s expertise in robotic cardiac surgery with Nicklaus Children’s nationally recognized leadership in congenital heart care. The teams worked together to bring an advanced minimally invasive option to children and adolescents with congenital heart disease.

Bringing Robotic Innovation to Congenital Heart Surgery

Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect, affecting nearly 1 percent of newborns in the United States. For this milestone procedure, surgeons repaired an atrial septal defect, a hole in the wall separating the heart’s upper chambers, using a robotic-assisted surgical system.

The technology allows surgeons to perform highly precise movements through small incisions while maintaining full control throughout the operation.

For qualified patients, this approach can offer significant advantages compared with traditional open-heart surgery, including smaller incisions, avoidance of sternotomy, less postoperative discomfort, faster recovery, and improved cosmetic outcomes.

The procedure was led by David Kalfa, M.D., chief of cardiovascular surgery and co-director of the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Heart Institute, in collaboration with Tom C. Nguyen, M.D., FACS, FACC, system chief medical executive of Baptist Health Heart & Vascular Care and director of minimally invasive surgery at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, and Makoto Hashimoto, M.D.,, cardiac surgeon at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute and director of robotic cardiac surgery at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

The accomplishment reflects a unique partnership among Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute and Florida International University. Together, the institutions have fostered an environment where academic medicine, advanced surgical expertise and interdisciplinary teamwork can accelerate innovation and treatment options in South Florida.

Combining Pediatric and Adult Cardiac Expertise

“The successful completion of this case demonstrates what is possible when innovation, preparation and multidisciplinary expertise come together in the service of children with heart conditions,” says Dr. Kalfa. “This milestone reflects a powerful collaboration among Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute and FIU, and we are proud to bring this advanced, minimally invasive option to pediatric patients in South Florida.

”The success of the procedure was made possible through extensive coordination between pediatric and adult cardiac specialists, robotic surgery experts, anesthesiologists, nurses and support teams. Bringing together expertise from both institutions enabled the team to adapt highly specialized robotic techniques for use in pediatric cardiac care, while maintaining the highest standards of safety and quality.“Small incisions make a big difference, especially in children,” explains Dr. Nguyen. “This milestone demonstrates what can be achieved when highly specialized teams come together around a shared commitment to advancing patient care. By bringing together expertise in pediatric and adult cardiac surgery, we were able to support an innovative approach while maintaining the careful planning, collaboration and focus on patient safety that complex cardiac care requires.”

“This milestone demonstrates what can be achieved when highly specialized teams come together around a shared commitment to advancing patient care. By bringing together expertise in pediatric and adult cardiac surgery, we were able to support an innovative approach while maintaining the careful planning, collaboration and focus on patient safety that complex cardiac care requires.”

Tom C. Nguyen, M.D., FACS, FACC, system chief medical executive, Baptist Health Heart & Vascular Care; director of minimally invasive surgery, Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute

 

Building on an Established Partnership

This latest achievement builds on a growing relationship between Baptist Health and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital that has already demonstrated the value of combining complementary expertise to solve complex cardiac challenges.

Earlier this year, the two institutions collaborated to treat a 73-year-old patient diagnosed with “cor triatriatum,” an extremely rare congenital heart defect commonly identified and treated in childhood. Because the condition is congenital in nature but was discovered in an older adult, the case required expertise from both pediatric congenital heart specialists and adult cardiac surgeons. Physicians from Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute worked alongside the Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute team to develop a treatment strategy tailored to the patient’s unique anatomy and age-related considerations.

That first-of-its-kind collaboration highlighted how the strengths of both organizations can be leveraged to provide specialized care across the lifespan.

The success of that program helped lay the groundwork for future innovations, including the recent pediatric robotics-assisted ASD repair.While robotic technology has become increasingly common in adult surgical specialties, its use in pediatric and congenital heart surgery remains limited to a small number of highly specialized centers nationwide because of the expertise, coordination and patient selection required. With this milestone procedure, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital joins a select group of institutions offering robotics-assisted cardiac interventions for pediatric patients.