Robotic Cardiac Surgery in Colombia: Overcoming the Challenges of a Middle-income Setting
Darío Andrade, Eric E. Vinck, Juan Fernando Parra, Husam H. Balkhy, Federico Núñez
Abstract
In developing countries, limited resources and low health budgets result in slow developments in the field of cardiac surgery. As a consequence, advances in surgery become a challenging process. In Colombia, most institutions do not have the capacity or infrastructure for minimally invasive and video-assisted cardiac surgery, let alone robotic assisted cardiac surgery (RACS). Despite the challenges, efforts to overcome these hurdles are critical for the future of cardiac surgery in low-income settings. Here we describe the first cases of robotic cardiac surgeries performed in Colombia.
Topics & Concepts
MedicineLow and middle income countriesRobotic surgeryCardiac surgeryIntensive care medicineSurgeryDeveloping countryEconomic growthEconomicsCongenital Heart Disease StudiesCardiac and Coronary Surgery TechniquesCardiac Structural Anomalies and Repair