Minimally Invasive Micro Bypass Done at Dedinje Institute for the First Time in the World

Ischemic heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world. One of the most common treatments is the surgical revascularization of the myocardium, also known as the bypass procedure. This procedure is most frequently done on an open heart, through heavy surgery, and it entails the opening of the rib cage by cutting the sternum.

In an era of minimally invasive procedures, the Dedinje Institute has made a step forward in this field as well. The first MicroCAB (micro bypass) in the world has been done.

– This procedure entails a full preservation of the bone structures of the rib cage. With a small cut beneath the sternum, the surgeon uses endoscopy to take the best blood vessel, which is used for the bypass (internal thoracic artery). Following that, by making a cut of three to four centimeters, through the left inter-rib space, the heart is accessed and the bypass graft is done – explains asst. Dr Igor Zivkovic, a heart surgeon at the Dedinje Institute.

With such patients, surgery can be done without stopping heart, that is, on a beating heart. MicroCAB was done for the first time by the heart surgery team of the Dedinje Institute, consisting of asst. Dr Igor Zivkovic, asst. Dr Petar Milacic, Dr Davor Gicevski, anesthesiologist asst. Dr Jelena Lesanovic and instrument nurse Aleksandra Koncarevic. Full support to the team was provided by the head of the Heart Surgery Clinic, Doc. Dr sci. med. Slobodan Mićović, and the director of the Institute, professor Dr Milovan Bojic.

The success of this procedure followed after the education of the surgeons from the Dedinje Institute in America, where, at the Medical Faculty and in the training centers of the company LSI Solutions, they practiced with colleagues from America and Europe on models and trainers, which helped them perform this complex procedure on the patient in the operating room.

– With great pleasure, we emphasize that the editor-in-chief of a significant world magazine has expressed a wish for this approach to be published as the first one performed on a man in the world, which will put a golden stamp on the Dedinje Institute and permanently place Serbia as part of the history of modern heart surgery. Through further education, the experts of the Dedinje Institute will work on perfecting this method, so that as many patients as possible would be operated on using this procedure, which will shorten their stay at the hospital, quicken the recovery and the return to normal life activities – the Institute announced.

Institut za kardiovaskularne bolesti Dedinje

Igor Živković

Petar Milačić

Davor Gičevski

Jelena Lešanović

Aleksandra Končarević

Slobodan Mićović

Milovan Bojić

ischemic heart disease

surgical revascularization of the myocardium

bypass procedure

microcab

micro bypass