Nicklaus Children’s and Baptist Health perform Florida’s first pediatric robotic heart surgery

Surgeons at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Heart Institute and Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute have performed Florida’s first robotics-assisted pediatric cardiac surgery. The procedure, which involved repairing an atrial septal defect (ASD) in a 14-year-old patient, is one of only a few such operations conducted in the United States.

The surgery was led by Dr. David Kalfa and Dr. Tom C. Nguyen, utilizing a multidisciplinary approach involving faculty from the Florida International University (FIU) Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. The robotic technology allowed for a minimally invasive approach, using small incisions to translate the surgeons' hand movements into precise motions inside the chest.

Medical professionals noted that this method offers advantages over traditional open-heart surgery, including smaller scars, potentially less pain, and a faster recovery period. The patient reported a rapid recovery following the procedure.