Ledisi (Part 2)

By WTOP Staff
August 18, 2026 | 4:29 AM

Jason Fraley interviews Grammy-winning R&B star Ledisi, who salutes blues legend Dinah Washington at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Maryland this Friday and Saturday. She called in to preview the shows, discuss Dinah's legacy, and reflect on her own career hits like "Pieces of Me” and “Anything for You.” (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")

Patients could see smaller incisions, shorter recoveries thanks to U.Va. Health robotic heart surgery program

By Neal Augenstein
August 24, 2026 | 3:15 PM

U.Va. Health has launched Virginia's first dedicated robotic heart surgery program as new technology and procedures offer patients less invasive alternatives to traditional open-heart surgery. "We're using a series of robotic instruments that are inserted into the patient and controlled by the surgeon, which allow us to access the heart and do operations that are traditionally done by opening the chest," said Dr. Michael Ibrahim, director of the robotic cardiac surgery program at U.Va. Health. Typically, after traditional open-heart surgery, "patients can't use their arms to get up and out of a chair, they can't carry more than 10 pounds for several weeks or months," Ibrahim said. Conversely, "There are really no restrictions after robotic cardiac surgery apart from what you feel able to do."

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