BOSTON -- There's a new option for about 16 million Americans who suffer from coronary artery disease. A robotic device is changing the way doctors treat patients.

Robot Aids In New Bypass Procedure

As News Center 5's Heather Unruh reported Tuesday, Boston Medical Center is one of only a nine hospitals in the country performing this cutting-edge procedure.

"One section of my heart was almost non-functional," said Kevin O'Connell.

When 59-year-old O'Connell found out he had coronary artery disease, coronary bypass surgery was an option. But it's a drastic one. The traditional surgery involves breaking open the chest bone, which can lead to complications.

"I don't know a patient in the country who would rather not have their sternum cracked if they didn't have to," said Dr. Robert Poston, the chief of cardiac surgery at Boston Medical Center.

Boston Medical Center has a new minimally invasive approach to treating coronary bypass. It puts hearts in the hands of a robot and Poston, who is a world-renowned surgeon.

"About 90 percent of the operation is done with the robot," Poston said. "What you do with the robot is you get into the chest cavity without having to break it open."

Doctors instead make small incisions, using tiny robot arms.

"You can then take down the mammary arteries. You can take down the heart sac, and look inside. You can find the arteries you want to bypass all with the robot," he said.

Because it's minimally invasive, Poston said there are fewer complications.

"All the complications are from the blood loss having cut through the bone," he said.

And healing time is faster. Patients stay fewer days in the hospital, and are back to work faster.

"There's virtually no pain the chest afterwards," said O'Connell.

O'Connell feels fortunate to have had the option for this cutting-edge procedure. He left the hospital after six days, and is doing great one month later.

"You can see a day-to-day recovery," he said.