Seminars in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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Aortic valve replacement has proven reliable, relieves life-threatening symptoms, and improves long-term survival of patients with aortic stenosis and aortic regurgitation. Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement uses small incisions; reduces exposure of the patient to surgical trauma, blood utilization, and operative dissection; although still using cardiopulmonary bypass and achieving the same general quality as with the open operation. Early and medium term results for minimally invasive aortic valve replacement approaches show a reduction in pain, improved patient satisfaction, and improved mobility and return to full-time activity. Concomitantly, there should be decreased cost and a decreased reliance on post-hospital rehabilitation.
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Semin. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Oct 1997
Case ReportsMinimally invasive techniques for congenital heart surgery.
Minimally invasive techniques in congenital heart surgery have evolved steadily over the past 5 years. Initially, instrumentation and techniques were adopted from other subspecialties, and efforts were directed at simple extracardiac repairs. ⋯ As instruments and techniques evolved, intraoperative cardioscopy became feasible and showed the utility of these new imaging techniques in facilitating open cardiac repairs by exposing remote areas within the heart. This experience has laid a foundation for the next phase of minimally invasive pediatric cardiac surgery: the repair of complex congenital defects.