Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Brazilian surgeons used a multi-armed robot to repair a hole in a woman's heart in the first operation of its kind in Latin America, they told AFP Friday.
Robinson Poffo, one of the surgeons involved, said the procedure was performed on a 35-year-old patient this week at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo.
"There was a hole between the right side and left side of the heart. We corrected this intracardiac defect by using the robot," he said.
The hi-tech assistant, a robot fitted with four arms able to carry out microscopic actions with precision, conducted the operation through three tiny incisions while doctors guided it with an endoscopic mini-camera inserted inside the anesthetized patient.
Poffo said the procedure avoided making a 25-centimeter (10-inch) cut in the chest of the patient, who was also able to leave hospital after three or four days instead of the usual 10 days.
The operation was unprecedented in Latin America, he said, though robot-assisted surgery has been carried out in the United States and Europe over the past decade.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments