Could your next surgery be done by a robot? Meet the patient who tried it

Ferenc Jakab underwent groundbreaking robotic heart surgery, which offered a faster recovery and less trauma. But how often are these surgeries performed in Canada?

Ferenc Jakab needed heart surgery, and a robot was called into action.

The 60-year-old Ontario resident had been monitoring a heart murmur for over 20 years, checking in with his doctor every couple of years. At a recent visit, the news shifted: it was time for surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

Jakab was healthy, active and symptom-free, working out regularly and even DJing on the side. But doctors warned the condition could get riskier with age, so they made the call to fix the murmur now.

“They said now is the time because you look good, you’re 60, with no other issues, so you should do this surgery when you are strong and it’s easier to recover,” he told Global News. “And I told them, ‘Why not? Let’s go do it.'”

After hearing this news, he and his wife had joked about how the surgery might go.

“We were talking about the approach, and I said, ‘Hey, maybe they’ll use robots,'” he said, laughing.

Jakab spent the night researching robotic surgery — a technique that’s quickly gaining ground in Canada as more hospitals begin using it for procedures like hip and knee replacements, spinal operations and hysterectomies.

The appeal? Robotic surgery often means smaller incisions, less pain, a lower risk of infection and a much faster recovery.