Secondary abdominal compartment syndrome required decompression laparotomy during minimally invasive mitral valve repair

We treated a 77-year-old patient with secondary abdominal compartment syndrome that caused failure to maintain cardiopulmonary bypass while undergoing elective minimally invasive right mini-thoracotomy mitral valve and tricuspid valve repair procedures. During the operation, a decompression laparotomy was needed to relieve elevated intraabdominal pressure that caused instability of the cardiopulmonary bypass. Due to poor oxygenation and the long cardiopulmonary bypass time, the patient required peripheral extracorporeal membrane oxygenation before recovery. We alert surgeons to this rare complication that can occur even in patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery with a right mini-thoracotomy.