A first-ever robotic surgery gives one woman a Thanksgiving to remember

Poppy McGee may not have made it to Thanksgiving. A stroke and brain surgery had already left McGee, 73, in a medically precarious state. Then doctors discovered a severe problem with her aortic valve and a blockage in her coronary artery, which were both contributing to heart failure.

While McGee was likely to survive the open-heart surgery that is the current standard of care for her conditions, her overall health meant that, her recovery would carry with it a high chance of complications, some of them severe.

That’s why on Oct. 31, 2024, Vinay Badhwar, M.D., executive chair of the West Virginia University Heart and Vascular Institute and professor and chairman of the WVU Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, and his team performed the world’s first combined valve replacement and coronary artery bypass operation — all done robotically and through a small incision in McGee’s chest.

“While we are still in the early days of this latest innovation, the ability to perform valve surgery and coronary artery bypass surgery fully robotically through a single incision has the potential to open up a new era of robotic heart surgery,” said Badhwar. “One day in the near future, this may serve as a platform to perform nearly all types of heart surgery.”

Thanks to the procedure, McGee spent Thanksgiving at home, seated at the head of the table and surrounded by family.

“We are so thankful for Dr. Badhwar and the team at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute developing this robotic procedure to help my mother recover so well,” said Mollie Wilcosky, McGee’s daughter. “She is getting stronger every day, and we were able to enjoy a nice Thanksgiving with her at home. I am convinced that she may not be here with us, or the outcome may have been very different, if the team at WVU had not developed this procedure.”