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What is Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery?

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Minimally invasive cardiac surgery is defined in two different ways. It can refer to a surgery that doesn't require a full sternotomy, or breaking of the breastbone, and that usually involves access to the heart between two ribs, instead. Minimally invasive may also mean heart surgery without cardiopulmonary bypass. In this second definition, a person with a sternotomy could still have a minimally invasive surgery if bypass is not used. The first definition is used more often than the second and will be the focus of this article.

There’s been a general movement toward developing a number of minimally invasive cardiac surgery techniques that can be adapted for a wide variety of surgeries. A surgeon can access many parts of the heart for repairs on the valves, for bypass surgery or to close congenital defects like atrial septal defects or patent foramen ovale. The advantages of this form of surgery tend to be that there is far less postoperative pain and minor less visible scarring. Minimally invasive techniques have been shown to be as safe and effective as standard methods that involve access through the sternum, though no heart surgery is without risk.

Minimally invasive cardiac surgeries have been shown to be relatively safe and effective with less pain and scarring than invasive techniques.
Minimally invasive cardiac surgeries have been shown to be relatively safe and effective with less pain and scarring than invasive techniques.

Not all heart repairs can be done with access through the ribs. This type of surgery may not be appropriate for people who have had previous heart surgeries. Alternately, the repair may be so significant that greater access to the heart is needed. Similarly, heart repair without using cardiopulmonary bypass is not always possible, though warm, beating heart surgeries can be performed for complex procedures like the Fontan.

A scalpel is a small, sharp knife that is used in surgeries to make incisions.
A scalpel is a small, sharp knife that is used in surgeries to make incisions.

Another emerging definition for minimally invasive cardiac surgery involves the use of robotics. For a few surgeries, and if surgeons have the appropriate equipment, a robot controlled by a surgeon can make tiny incisions and precise repairs to the heart. This technology is still new and it isn’t offered by every hospital.

As previously mentioned, there can be real advantage to a minimally invasive cardiac surgery. The reduction in postoperative pain can be significant because it corresponds to shorter hospital stays, and patients might run less risk of getting opportunistic infections if they are at home. On the other hand, the risk of complications from a procedure are often highest in the first few days after surgery, and going home too soon might risk experiencing complications at home.

Minimally invasive cardiac surgery often has less postoperative pain as well as less scarring.
Minimally invasive cardiac surgery often has less postoperative pain as well as less scarring.

Given the potential benefits, it can be worth discussing with a surgeon whether minimally invasive cardiac surgery is an appropriate choice. Not all surgeons favor this method and not all are trained to offer extensive surgery choices with this option. Those considering a cardiac surgery can certainly find surgeons that are skilled, but even then, not all types of patients or cardiac problems are best treated with this method.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent WiseGEEK contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent WiseGEEK contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

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    • Minimally invasive cardiac surgeries have been shown to be relatively safe and effective with less pain and scarring than invasive techniques.
      By: Alila Medical Media
      Minimally invasive cardiac surgeries have been shown to be relatively safe and effective with less pain and scarring than invasive techniques.
    • A scalpel is a small, sharp knife that is used in surgeries to make incisions.
      By: iofoto
      A scalpel is a small, sharp knife that is used in surgeries to make incisions.
    • Minimally invasive cardiac surgery often has less postoperative pain as well as less scarring.
      By: Gennadiy Poznyakov
      Minimally invasive cardiac surgery often has less postoperative pain as well as less scarring.
    • Minimally invasive surgeries help patients avoid a sternotomy.
      By: Arkady Chubykin
      Minimally invasive surgeries help patients avoid a sternotomy.