Follow-Up of Robotic Mitral Valve Repair: A Single Tertiary Institution Experience in China

Surgical treatment of mitral valve diseases has become minimally invasive. This study analyzed the follow-up results of patients after mitral valve repairs (MVRep) using the da Vinci robot. The clinical data of patients who underwent minimally invasive MVRep using the da Vinci robot between January 2016 and June 2021 and completed follow-ups were prospectively collected. All operations were performed by the same surgeon and assistants. The data of a total of 120 patients were available for analysis, including 78 males (65%) and 42 females aged 49.9 ± 12.1 years (range, 19–73 years). Among them, there were 30 cases (25%) of mitral valve prolapse, 87 cases (72.5%) of mitral regurgitation, and 40 cases of combined tricuspid regurgitation. Edwards Physio II annuloplasty rings were implanted intraoperatively, followed by continuous sutures. The intraoperative cardiopulmonary bypass time was 152.32 ± 45.77 min, and the aortic occlusion time was 95.13 ± 5.64 min. After surgery, patients were followed up regularly with echocardiography with a follow-up period of 3–57 months postoperatively. One patient died in the early stage, and five patients required sternotomy due to postoperative bleeding. Follow-up transesophageal echocardiography showed that the end-systolic diameter, end-diastolic diameter, and ejection fraction of the left ventricular all improved after surgery. Among Chinese patients, MVRep using the da Vinci robot is a safe and effective surgical approach.