Use of a new venous cannula for minimally invasive cardiac surgery

Interest in minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) for cardiac disease continues to increase, because it causes less surgical trauma and produces a better cosmetic appearance. We introduced the transxiphoid approach without sternotomy for correction of congenital heart defects. To improve exposure of the cardiac lesion during MICS, we developed a new venous cannula that is made of wire reinforced silicone, with an inflatable balloon attached at the tip. The advantages of this cannula are its extreme flexibility and that a tape does not need to be placed around the vena cava. During a period of 12 months, eight children underwent closure of atrial septal defects. The approach consisted of a 4 to 5 cm low midline incision with division of the xiphoid only. The new venous cannula was used as the superior vena cava cannula, all the patients survived the operation. This new venous cannula provided better exposure during cardiac surgery through a limited incision and is beneficial for minimally invasive cardiac surgery.