[Minimally invasive heart and mitral valve surgery]

During the last decades, minimally invasive operative techniques have been established in various subspecialties of modern cardiac surgery, offering now safe and efficient alternative treatment options for most of the patients. Those new and innovative options thereby aimed to reduce the operative trauma and perioperative morbidity, and furthermore, to increase patients' satisfaction and optimize patients' security. After continuous enhancement of these minimally invasive techniques during the last 10 years, numerous current reports demonstrate minimally invasive cardiac surgery techniques to be safe and efficient, resulting in equal or even better mortality and morbidity compared to conventional cardiac surgery. The underlying benefits of minimally invasive cardiac surgery are characterized by shorter hospital stay, less postoperative pain, accelerated rehabilitation, and superior cosmetic results. Minimally invasive treatment options in cardiac surgery should always be considered for suitable patients.