Robotic Cardiac Surgery in Colombia: Overcoming the Challenges of a Middle-income Setting

Braz J Cardiovasc Surg. 2020 Dec 1;35(6):990-993. doi: 10.21470/1678-9741-2020-0064.

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.

Keywords: Health Resources, Poverty; Robotic Surgical Procedures; Robotics, Cardiac Surgical Procedures, Colombia.

MeSH terms

  • Cardiac Surgical Procedures*
  • Colombia
  • Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures
  • Robotic Surgical Procedures*
  • Robotics