Improving Heart Surgery for Generations: Robotic Heart Surgery Arrives in Gainesville

Bill Mayfield and his wife traveled to Georgia from their home in Minnesota in January 2023 to visit their son, when Bill suddenly started to feel ill.

“We were looking forward to hiking while we were here, so I was preparing by walking on the treadmill at the hotel,” Bill said. “I couldn’t walk very far at all without getting short of breath and really tired.”

His shortness of breath prompted him to stop by Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG) Urgent Care in Dahlonega, where the care team discovered a heart murmur. They quickly referred him to T. Sloane Guy, MD, director of minimally invasive and robotic heart surgery at NGPG Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery.

Dr. Guy explained Bill needed heart surgery, and that he was an excellent candidate for a less-invasive robotic surgery option.. Bill and his wife were optimistic but wanted to go back home to Minnesota to do a little research.

Cutting-Edge Care

Patients in northeast Georgia and across the country, like Bill, have access to cutting-edge options now that Georgia Heart Institute and NGPG Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery offer minimally-invasive robotic heart surgery.

During his surgical training, Dr. Guy focused his skills specifically on mitral valve repairs, which is exactly what Bill needed to correct his mitral valve regurgitation. Dr. Guy prides himself on performing the procedure, which fixes a leaky or stiff mitral valve in the heart, in the least invasive way possible – something that’s hard for other surgeons to achieve because of the commitment it takes to learn.

“I read that Dr. Guy was one of the best robotic heart surgeons in the country,” Bill recalled. “It made the most sense for us to make the trip back down from Minnesota, and it was definitely worth it.”

Bill was the first patient to undergo robotic heart surgery at

Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC), and he made a rapid recovery.

“Just two days after the surgery, I was leaving the hospital and feeling great. I can’t believe what the team was able to do through these tiny incisions,” Bill said. “I remember when my brother had open heart surgery, and this is a totally different experience.”

The Robotic Difference

Heart surgeries that formerly were only available through open heart surgery can now be performed through tiny incisions – about 8 millimeters long.

The surgery went so well that Bill was able to leave the hospital just two days after the surgery, and he was able to fly home to Minnesota after his follow-up appointment the following week.

“We’re able to offer patients an option that’s significantly less invasive, meaning faster recoveries and smaller scars for patients when compared to open heart surgery where an incision might be eight to 10 inches long,” said Dr. Guy. “The heart surgeries I perform robotically use incisions that are the size of the diameter of an ink pen. This means patients can have a significantly shorter recover time so they can get back to their normal activities sooner than open heart surgery patients.”

What is Robotic Heart Surgery?

Robot-assisted surgery is a type of minimally-invasive procedure that’s especially advanced. During endoscopic robotic valve surgery, the heart is accessed through two small incisions. A specialized camera is placed into the body through the incisions, allowing the surgeon to view real-time video of the surgical site.

Guided by that video, the surgeon can use small instruments to repair the valve without moving the heart. Because these processes make less of an impact on the body, they provide patients with a number of benefits, including reduced blood loss, less risk of complications and a quicker recovery.

During robotic heart surgery, the surgeon sits at a console near the patient. The surgical instruments, guided by the robotic arm, move in real time with the surgeon’s hand and wrist movements. These tiny instruments can make much smaller movements than human hands can, meaning there’s less damage to surrounding tissue.

Renowned Surgical Care

The addition of robotic heart surgery gives patients even more confidence in the cardiovascular surgical services of Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) they’ve known and trusted for 13 years.

“Whether the surgery is done using a minimally-invasive approach or an open approach, our primary goal is providing the best possible treatment plan and outcome for each individual patient,” said Clifton Hastings, MD, medical director of NGPG Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery. “We’re collaborating with the cardiologists of Georgia Heart Institute to coordinate care across specialties, providing patients a more seamless patient experience.”

Robotic heart surgery is just one of the robust treatment offerings at NGHS. The surgeons of NGPG Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery are an integral part of Georgia Heart Institute, NGHS’ comprehensive heart and vascular service line. This includes heart care services such as the Center for Cardiovascular Prevention, Metabolism & Lipids; the Heart Failure Treatment & Recovery Center; the Women’s Heart Center; and the Structural Heart Center.

“We’re collaborating more than ever with the cardiologists of Georgia Heart Institute to provide patients with a seamless experience, should they need heart or thoracic surgery,” Dr. Hastings said. “This means that patients can see Georgia Heart Institute’s cardiologists for everything from preventative treatment, to complex interventional cardiology procedures, to our team for advanced heart surgeries.”

To schedule an appointment with NGPG Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, call 770-219-7099. To schedule an appointment with one of Georgia Heart Institute’s cardiologists, visit georgiaheartinstitute.org or call 770-5342020.