The April 1 surgery took place at Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center in Dearborn. The patient, a Hamtramck man, was suffering from an advanced stage of congestive heart failure.

Surgeons said the patient is "doing well," and was expected to remain in the hospital between five and seven days. The average hospital stay for an open heart surgery patient is eight to 10 days.

The entire procedure took 1 hour and six minutes. Traditional open heart surgery takes hours.

Designated PEERLESS-HF (Prospective Evaluation of Elastic Restraint to LESSen the effects of Heart Failure), the HeartNet therapy researched collaboratively by the School of Medicine and Oakwood Healthcare System involves an implantable device that wraps around the heart to increase its pumping ability.

The HeartNet is an elasticized structure implanted via a minimally invasive procedure. Essentially, the device snugs around and conforms to the heart in a gentle hug, augmenting the function of the heart, and potentially preventing congestive heart failure from advancing by reversing the progressive enlargement of the failing heart. This process allows surgeons to make an incision less than an inch long, opposed to a traditional open heart surgery incision, which can be 12 inches.