Minimally invasive coronary bypass surgery (CABG):

Cardiac surgeons at the O.L.V. Clinic in Aalst, Belgium, are mastering different minimally invasive techniques for coronary artery bypass surgery so that they can tailor their treatment to the different needs of the patients.

• OPCAB: in "off pump" CABG the heart-lung machine is eliminated avoiding the possible risks associated with it. The surgeon works on the beating heart.

• Robotically assisted keyhole surgery (Robotically assisted MIDCAB): A robotic system is used as remote controlled surgery to perform coronary bypass surgery through a very small opening in the left chest or even on the completely closed chest. The surgeon is sitting at a console while he controls the remote robotic arms which are performing the most delicate and precise surgical acts on the heart inside the patient's closed chest. 

• Hybrid Therapy: Many patients benefit from combining
  - percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) as dilatations and stenting performed by our extremely experienced cardiologists and this
  - robotically assisted MIDCAB so that they get the best treatment of both worlds (cardiology and cardiac surgery)

Even the more complex pathology can thus be treated in a minimally invasive way leaving only minimal scars and offering the patients optimal postoperative comfort and fast recovery to complete rehabilitation.