[Robotic mitral valve repair and closure of atrial septal defect. Report of 13 procedures]

Background Robot-assisted minimally invasive heart surgery is an effective alternative when compared with classical approaches. It has a low mortality and postoperative complications and its long-term durability is comparable with conventional techniques.

To report short- and long-term results with the use of a robot-assisted transthoracic approach.

Review of patients undergoing heart surgery between 2015 and 2019 using a robot assisted minimally invasive technique in a single center. We analyzed demographic characteristics, surgical and early ultrasound results.

Thirteen procedures were reviewed, nine mitral valve repairs (MVR) in patients aged 61 ± 21 years (seven males) and four atrial septal defect (ASD) closures in patients aged from 24 to 52 years (three men). For MVR, the average extracorporeal circulation and myocardial ischemia times were 120 ± 20.9 and 89 ± 21 minutes, respectively. The median hospitalization was four days. Two cases of MVR had postoperative complications. There was no mortality. All cases showed improvement in their symptoms. Ultrasound findings showed no postoperative mitral insufficiency except in one case.

We report very good results in both complex mitral repair and CIA closure, comparable to centers with high standards in minimally invasive robot-assisted heart surgery.