Central versus femoral cannulation during minimally invasive aortic valve replacement

Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement (AVR) is rapidly becoming the preferred approach for aortic valve procedures in most centers worldwide. While femoral artery cannulation is still the most frequently used form of arterial perfusion strategy during less invasive AVR, some recent studies have showed a possible connection between retrograde perfusion and cerebral complications. In this article, we discuss the possible advantages of central aortic cannulation during right minimally invasive AVR and provide some technical aspects for a safe and efficient cannulation of the ascending aorta through a right minithoracotomy.