▲(left) Eung-rae Kim, the chief of Dept. of Thoracic and cardiovascular surgery of Bucheon Sejong Hospital, (right) The minimally invasive cardiac surgery was being performed using an endoscope at Bucheon Sejong Hospital  
 

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On April 5 (Wed.), Bucheon Sejong Hospital (Director: Park Jin-sik), the only cardiac specialty hospital selected by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Korea, announced that Dr. Eung-rae Kim, the chief of Dept. of Thoracic and cardiovascular surgery of Bucheon Sejong Hospital has applied the minimally invasive heart surgery in representative congenital heart diseases such as atrial or ventricular septal defect, and some of the valvular diseases, and in particular, he has developed a minimally invasive cardiac surgery method for subaortic ventricular septal defects under the aortic valve, which was previously thought to be operable only through a median sternotomy.

The minimally invasive congenital heart surgery is even better for patients as its focus is not only to minimize the wound but also to make the scar as invisible as possible. And based on the type of disease, the incision is made along the lower crease of the woman’s breast or even around the areola mammae so that any possible scars on the frontal area of the breast can be hidden, and this method of incision and scar management technique is unique in Korea.


The chief, Eung-rae Kim, said, “Cardiac surgery is never an easy operation, but thanks to the development of medicine, the surgery has become very safe and minimizes the complications. Some look the other way because they are afraid of the surgery, but I want to encourage them to think positively about the surgery as the heart operation in Korea boasts the best quality and level in the world.” He added, “The surgical methods that can be applied vary depending on the patient’s physical condition and type of disease, and the most important thing is to have a thorough consultation with the surgeon in charge for the successful outcome and patient satisfaction. Patients need to understand the exact situation and find the best surgery so as to achieve health, safety, and beauty altogether.”