June 27, 2005 LIFESTYLE:   |  |  |  |  |  |  | High-tech robotic open-heart surgery found in Odessa   ODESSA, Texas At 83 years old, James Bawcom didn't want to face months of recovery as his friends had suffered after open-heart surgery. Quality of life was more important. But doctors had told him without the surgery, he would have six months to live. Bawcom unexpectedly found his alternative in Odessa, where Alliance Hospital offers Totally Endoscopic Coronary Artery Bypass. During the procedure, a surgeon directs a robotic instrument from a console. The surgery requires fingertip-size incisions to enter the chest. In comparison, a surgeon would break open the sternum in traditional open-heart surgery. Most patients can recover in weeks instead of months as with traditional surgery. ___ Information from: Odessa American, http://www.oaoa

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