Surgical Procedures

Minimally Invasive & Robotic Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) Repair

This patient, who underwent totally endoscopic robotic ASD repair, was discharged in three days and returned to work in less than two weeks.

A relatively common congenital heart defect, an atrial septal defect refers to a hole in the wall separating the top two chamber of the heart. This hole allows already oxygenated blood to flow back to the lungs, reducing the heart's efficiency and eventually leading to pulmonary hypertension and other complications. Surgical repair is typically recommended.

On July 24, 2001, the Columbia robotic cardiac surgery team performed the first robotically-assisted atrial septal defect repair, without a chest incision of any kind. This represented the first totally closed-chest open heart operation in U.S. history. Dr. Argenziano served as the principal investigator of the trial. For the 30 patients who had robotic ASD repair at Columbia during the trial, the median postoperative stay was three days, with a more rapid return to their normal lives. Based on these results, robotic ASD repair is now an FDA-approved procedure.