Totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery: early experience in 188 patients

INTRODUCTION: Totally endoscopic technique has been widely used in cardiac surgery, and minimally invasive totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery has been developed as an alternative to median sternotomy for many patients with mitral valve disease. In this study, we describe our experience about a modified minimally invasive totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery and reported the preliminary results of totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery. The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the results of totally endoscopic technique in mitral valve surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the profiles of 188 patients who were treated for mitral valve disease by modified totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery at our institution between January 2019 and December 2020. The procedure was performed under endoscopic right minithoracotomy and with femoro-femoral cannulation using the single two-stage venous cannula. RESULTS: A total of 188 patients underwent total endoscopic mitral valve surgery. Fifty-six patients had concomitant tricuspid valvuloplasty, 11 patients underwent concomitant ablation of atrial fibrillation and atrial septal defect repair was performed in three patients. Only one patient postoperatively died of multi-organ failure. Two patients were converted to median sternotomy. Except for one patient underwent operation to stop the bleeding from the incision site, no other serious complications nor reintervention occurred during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: The modified totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery performed at our institution is technically feasible and safe with the same efficacy as reported studies.