Effects of repairing ventricular septal defects with right vertical infra-axillary mini-incision on lung function and postoperative analgosedation

The present study aimed to assess the effects of repairing ventricular septal defects (VSDs) with right vertical infra-axillary mini-incision (RVAI). A total of 116 patients with VSDs were prospectively enrolled and underwent cardiac surgery between June 2017 and December 2018 at the cardiac intensive care unit of Shanghai Children's Medical Center (Shanghai, China). Of these, 58 patients underwent the RVAI procedure and 58 patients matched 1:1 underwent the standard median sternotomy incision (MSI) procedure and were designated as the control group. The demographic data and clinical outcomes intra- and postoperatively were compared. A bedside lung ultrasound was performed to evaluate the degree of lung injury and the number of B-lines was quantified and compared between the two groups. The sedation and analgesia levels were also assessed after the operation. No significant difference was identified between the two groups regarding the overall cardiopulmonary bypass or aortic cross-clamp time. All patients were extubated within 8 h. The RVAI group had shorter incision lengths (median, 4.6 cm) and less drainage (median, 15 ml) than the MSI group. Furthermore, compared to the MSI group, the RVAI group had a significantly higher number of B-lines in the right lung regions immediately after surgery and at 12 h postsurgery (24.1 and 5.2%, respectively) but eventually exhibited no differences at 24 and 36 h postsurgery; by contrast, there were no differences in the left lung regions. The bedside bispectral index score and the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability scale score exhibited no significant differences after the operation. In conclusion, the RVAI procedure appears to be a safe alternative for repairing VSDs in addition to satisfactory cosmetic results and the incision does not interfere with postoperative analgosedation.