MINIMALLY INVASIVE CARDIAC-SURGERY FOR INTRACARDIAC CONGENITAL LESIONS

Objective: Minimally invasive cardiac surgery has recently been applie d to the correction of intracardiac lesions. This report reviews our e xperience of minimally invasive cardiac surgery in 119 patients with i ntracardiac congenital lesions. Methods: From October 1995 to April 19 97. 119 patients (48 male and 71 female, aged 0.9-65 years old, 18.5 /- 17.8) received elective minimally invasive cardiac surgery at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan for repair of atrial septal de fect (96 patients) or ventricular septal defect (23 patients). The ope rations were performed through right submammary incision (ASD) or left parasternal minithoracotomy (VSD), under femorofemoral or femoro-atri al cardiopulmonary bypass with fibrillatory arrest. Results: All of th e defects were repaired successfully. The bypass time was 25-125 min ( 46 +/- 18). The operation Lime was 1.5-5.2 h (2.8 +/- 0.8). The postop erative course was uneventful in all patients. Follow-up (1.0-18.2 mon ths, mean 7.3) was complete, with no late: deaths or residual shunt. A ll patients were found to be in NYHA functional class I or II. Conclus ion: Our experience demonstrate that minimally invasive cardiac surger y is a technically feasible, safe, and effective procedure in surgical correction of selective simple intracardiac congenital lesions, yield ing good short-term results. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.