[Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery( MICS) through a Mini-right Thoracotomy]

Recently, the concept of minimally invasive surgery has been expanding in cardiothoracic surgery. Minimally invasive cadiac surgery( MICS) is characterized by the avoidance of full sternotomy and minimizing of surgical incision. The advantages of this approach include less postoperative discomfort and earlier mobilization and discharge. Since port-access cardiac surgery for atrial septal defect was performed in March 2005, we have improved the devices and procedure and actively applied port-access surgery to mitral valve disorders and various cardiac diseases. MICS patients were, on average, extubated sooner and discharged from the intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital earlier than coventional procedures patients. Additionally, MICS patients had less risk of receiving a blood transfusion. We believe recently advanced MICS is a very feasible surgical option, and that, in the near future, the MICS technique can be used for patients with a variety of preoperative backgrounds and more complex cardiovascular disorders.