Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City is honored to collaborate with renowned professors from the University of Toronto (Canada), University of California San Francisco (USA), VNU – University of Medicine & Pharmacy, Thong Nhat Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, the Heart Institute Ho Chi Minh City to demonstrate its expertise in minimally invasive mitral valve repair technique in front of medical professionals from the U.S, German, Belgium, Poland, Canada, Australia and many others as part of the 31st annual meeting of the Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons of Asia (ATCSA).

Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City showcases its expertise in minimally invasive heart surgery to international experts

At 1:30 p.m. on November 15, 2023, at Tam General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, there will be a pre-conference workshop titled “Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery” as part of the 31st Asian Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Conference (ATCSA).

Two of the best surgeons in the world, Prof. Tirone David of the University of Toronto (Canada) and Prof. Tom C. Nguyen of the University of California San Francisco (USA), have confirmed their attendance at the event.

Prof. Tirone David is currently the holder of the Melanie Munk Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Peter Munk Cardiac Center. His impressive body of work includes 365 scientific articles, 35 chapters in medical textbooks, and 4 surgical textbooks. He is renowned for his expertise in developing advanced surgical methods for treating heart valve disease, managing complications of myocardial infarction, and addressing thoracic aortic aneurysm. He served as President of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery in 2004-2005 and was the recipient of its Scientific Achievement Award in 2016, and Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.

At the same time, Prof. Tom C. Nguyen has earned a stellar reputation as a pioneer in the field of robotic and minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Minimally invasive atrial septal defect, aortic valve, mitral valve, and septal resection surgery for cardiomyopathy are just a few of the thousands of difficult cardiac operations he has conducted. Over 2,400 transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and MitraClip procedures have been successfully completed by Professor Tom C. Nguyen.

Leading experts in the field of cardiovascular surgery in Vietnam will also take part in this event. They include Prof. Le Ngoc Thanh, PhD, president of VNU – University of Medicine and Pharmacy; Assoc. Prof. Do Kim Que, MD, PhD, vice president of Thong Nhat Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City; Nguyen Anh Dung, MD, PhD, head of the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at Cardiovascular Center at Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City; and Nguyen Minh Tri Vien, MD, MsC, head of Department of Surgical Treatment at the Heart Institute of Ho Chi Minh City,

Cardiac Surgery Consultant at Cardiovascular Center at Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

The surgical team will collaborate to perform a precise repair on the mitral valve using advanced endoscopic techniques. These minimally invasive methods will be employed to address the leaflet prolapse in a 48-year-old male patient who is at risk of experiencing severe heart failure.

Nguyen Anh Dung, MD, PhD, head of the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at Cardiovascular Center at Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, said: “This heart valve repair technique involves making 3-4 small incisions in the lateral chest, rather than a large incision in the middle of the chest. By avoiding cutting the sternum, the risk of infection, bleeding, endocarditis, and arrhythmia heart attack, myocardial infarction is minimized both during and after surgery.”

The minimally invasive mitral valve repair surgery process is enhanced by an advanced endoscopic camera system. This system has the remarkable capability to magnify images, offering a detailed and precise view of the heart chamber structure and heart valves. Thanks to that, doctors have convenient access to analyze valve damage and provide prompt and accurate treatment.

This technique involves establishing an extracorporeal circulatory system (Cardiopulmonary Bypass – CPB) through the peripheral route (femoral artery and vein) using a small incision of 3-4cm. This approach not only ensures high aesthetics but also reduces complications compared to performing the procedure on the thoracic aorta with a large incision in front of the chest.

Furthermore, the utilization of the anesthetic anesthesia technique in conjunction with erector spinae plane (ESP) anesthesia proves to be highly effective in minimizing post-surgical pain and decreasing the need for morphine. The patient is typically able to resume normal activities within 2 days after surgery and can expect to be discharged after 5 days, which is significantly shorter than the recovery time for open surgery (10-14 days).

Experts and surgeons will be able to observe and debate the procedure live via video feed from the operating room in the Tam Anh Research Institute (TÂMRI) lecture hall. Here, doctors and medical students with an interest in cardiothoracic surgery can network with one another, share ideas, learn about advances in the field, practice what they’ve learned, and generally raise the bar for patient care.

Event information:

Tam Anh Research Institute