Papers
57
Total Citations
523
H-Index
13
About
Go Watanabe is a pioneering surgical innovator whose career has been defined by advancing robotic and minimally invasive surgical techniques, with a particular focus on cardiac, thoracic, and gastrointestinal surgery. His foundational work on robot-assisted cardiac surgery, outlined in his widely cited 2015 paper, helped establish the conceptual and clinical framework for integrating surgical robotics into mainstream practice, earning 39 citations and influencing surgeons worldwide. Watanabe has made landmark contributions to coronary artery bypass grafting, including his development of robot-assisted MIDCAB and the "awake CABG" concept, demonstrating that complex cardiac procedures could be performed with minimal trauma and anesthesia burden. His technical innovations extend to mitral valve repair, where his use of barbed sutures and novel cardioplegia delivery methods reflect a relentless drive to refine operative precision. Notably, Watanabe played a central role in Japan's historic 2018 milestone of becoming the first nation to cover robotic cardiac surgery under national health insurance, a policy achievement he helped catalyze through his clinical outcomes research. Across more than 200 cumulative citations, his body of work stands as a compelling testament to the transformative potential of surgical robotics.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Robot-Assisted Cardiac Surgery39 citations · 2015
- 2Thoracoscopic robot-assisted bronchoplasty33 citations · 2006
- 3Robotic Internal Thoracic Artery Harvesting28 citations · 2007
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- 6Use of Barbed Suture in Robot-Assisted Mitral Valvuloplasty23 citations · 2014
- 7Ultra-minimally invasive cardiac surgery: robotic surgery and awake CABG20 citations · 2014
- 8Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting19 citations · 2013
- 9Robot-assisted single-port surgery for mediastinal tumors16 citations · 2018
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