Heart and Vascular Center marks milestone

The Heart and Vascular Center robotic cardiac surgery team performed the 100th robotic mitral valve repair surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) the week of Aug. 16. The surgery marked a milestone for this procedure, which offers patients smaller incisions, less pain, a shorter hospital stay and quicker recovery. Arnar Geirsson, MD, chief of Cardiac Surgery, leads the team. YNHH performs among the most mitral valve surgeries in Connecticut and New England and is the only hospital in New England offering robotic mitral valve repair. Team members include (l-r): Micah Mazzacane, RN; Joseph Gerhard, RN; Michael LaLonde, PA-C; Dr. Geirsson; Andrea Rivera, RN; Qingbing Zhu, MD, anesthesiologist; Paul Basile, cardio perfusionist; and Jason Ponte, surgical tech.