Cardiac robotic surgery: Excellent outcomes, faster recovery

Patients facing heart surgery often worry about large incisions, postsurgical complications and long recoveries. With its innovative cardiac robotic surgery program, Atlantic Health is at the leading edge of helping patients avoid these problems.

According to Michael Simpson, MD, a cardiovascular surgeon at Atlantic Health, cardiac robotic techniques make it easier for surgeons to complete a wide range of heart procedures and deliver excellent outcomes with faster recovery.

“Robotics is a tool that enables us to complete many minimally invasive open-heart surgeries,” he says. “The platform lends itself to more complicated operations than standard, minimally invasive approaches.”

The region’s leader in heart surgery

Atlantic Health launched its cardiac robotic surgery program at Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center in October 2026. Currently, the hospital performs robotic procedures for coronary bypass and mitral valve disease. Dr. Simpson says the plan is to expand the program over time, making these innovative treatments available to more patients.

“Our program is dedicated to making sure patients get all the benefits of open-heart surgery with the least disruption to their lives,” he says. “Our goal is to offer this approach to as many people as we can. It will keep people out of the hospital, decrease their length of stay and get them back to doing the things they love as fast as possible.”

Less invasive, more detailed heart procedures

Cardiac robotic surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery. It uses small tools, a 3D camera and surgeon-controlled robotic instruments to complete heart procedures through tiny incisions on the right side of the chest. During the procedure, surgeons control robotic tools through a console in the operating room. The machine precisely mimics the surgeon’s hand movements with greater flexibility and steadiness. Atlantic Health surgeons use the latest-generation, state-of-the-art Intuitive da Vinci 5 surgical system.

According to Dr. Simpson, cardiac robotic techniques give surgeons higher resolution visibility of the heart. As a result, surgeons can more easily see and address additional heart problems during a single procedure.

“With other minimally invasive approaches, it can be challenging to see other parts of the heart that need to be fixed,” he says. “The robot provides a direct view so we can offer additional procedures patients benefit from.”

An alternative surgical approach for multiple procedures

Traditionally, cardiac surgeons have used full sternotomy — the open-heart procedure that uses an eight- to 10-inch incision to access the heart, lungs and major blood vessels — to address many heart conditions. But full recovery and return to regular activities can take several months.

Cardiac robotic surgery offers a less disruptive alternative, Dr. Simpson says. Surgeons can use robotic techniques to complete a variety of complex minimally invasive cardiac procedures for clinically appropriate patients, including:

• Certain cardiac defects
• Coronary artery bypass surgery
• Mitral valve repair
• Surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation
• Tricuspid valve repair

Surgery with fewer post procedure impacts

According to Dr. Simpson, minimally invasive robotic surgery lets most patients return to normal function faster.

“When we perform robotic procedures between the ribs, we are better able to control pain for the patient,” he says. “Patients are also more comfortable, and many can get out of bed as soon as the day after surgery.”

Cardiac robotic surgery also offers these benefits:

• Lower infection risk
• Minimal scarring
• Reduced blood loss
• Shorter hospital stay
• Smaller incision

A detailed presurgical evaluation that supports safety

Dr. Simpson recommends that those who might be candidates for heart surgery, should be evaluated for a robotic procedure.

“Not everybody is a candidate for cardiac robotic surgery,” he says. “But every patient should be considered for it.”

Atlantic Health cardiologists and cardiac surgeons complete a thorough evaluation and order several tests to determine if a robotic procedure is an option for individual patients. These tests may include:

• Chest X-ray
• Coronary angiogram to detect existing coronary artery disease
• CT scan
• Echocardiogram

Patients may not be candidates for cardiac robotic surgery if they have certain conditions, such as:

• Chest wall deformities that limit access to the heart
• Extreme atherosclerosis (calcification in the arteries)
• Advanced heart disease
• Lung disease