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Can You Go Home 24 Hours After Robotic Heart Surgery? Tom Did

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: September 28, 2026

For many people facing heart valve surgery, one of the biggest fears is not only the operation itself—it is what comes afterward. How much pain will there be? How long will I be in the hospital? When will I feel like myself again?

Dr. Husam Balkhy Robotic Mitral Valve Surgery Discharge Facts

Tom Italia had many of those same concerns before undergoing robotic heart surgery with Dr. Husam Balkhy at the University of Chicago. What happened next was remarkable: just a little more than 24 hours after his operation, Tom walked out of the hospital and began recovering at home.

Looking back on the experience, Tom could not say enough about the care he received. He described Dr. Balkhy as “warm, attentive, and above all else a wonderful doctor,” and praised the entire surgical team that supported him throughout his journey.

Most impressive to Tom was how quickly he was able to recover after such a significant heart procedure. “I walked out of the hospital just a little over 24 hours after surgery,” he wrote. For patients who may be frightened by the thought of heart surgery, Tom’s experience offers an encouraging glimpse at how different recovery can be with a minimally invasive approach.

Why Some Robotic Heart Surgery Patients Go Home Sooner

According to Dr. Balkhy, Tom’s rapid recovery is not an isolated experience within his robotic cardiac surgery program. Approximately 15% to 20% of his robotic cardiac surgery patients are able to go home the day after surgery, and about 70% leave the hospital within 48 hours.

Dr. Balkhy explained that the small chest incisions—each less than one centimeter—can mean less postoperative discomfort and make an earlier return home possible for appropriately selected patients. Just as important, he credits his dedicated team of nurse practitioners and physician assistants, who closely follow patients after discharge and help support a successful recovery at home.

To help you learn more about which types of patients are candidates for robot-assisted mitral valve surgery, here is an educational video I filmed with Dr. Balkhy.

From the Operating Room to a Global Teaching Case

There is one more extraordinary part of Tom’s story. His operation was transmitted live as a teaching case to an Edwards meeting in Berlin, where approximately 300 surgeons watched Dr. Balkhy and his team perform the procedure. Imagine that journey: entering the hospital for heart surgery, helping educate hundreds of surgeons around the world, and then walking out of the hospital barely a day later.

Every patient and every recovery is different, but Tom’s story is a powerful reminder of how advances in robotic heart surgery are creating new possibilities—and new hope—for patients facing heart valve surgery.

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

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