Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2025
05:17
Author Spotlight: Scope of LE-ULBD as a Safe, Effective, and Minimally Invasive Approach to Treat Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Published on: February 9, 2024
624
The Feasibility of Less-Invasive Bentall Surgery: A Real-World Analysis
Antonia van Kampen1,2, Christian D Etz1,3, Josephina Haunschild1,3
1Leipzig Heart Center, University Clinic for Cardiac Surgery, Struempellstr. 39, 04289 Leipzig, Germany.
Life (Basel, Switzerland)
|November 25, 2023
Summary
Partial upper sternotomy for aortic root replacement is safe and feasible, with similar outcomes to full sternotomy. Shorter hospital stays were observed, but a higher rate of bleeding complications required conversion in some cases.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
- Aortic Surgery
Background:
- Minimally invasive techniques are increasingly adopted in cardiac surgery for various procedures.
- Complex aortic operations are now benefiting from these less invasive approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and feasibility of a partial upper sternotomy for isolated elective aortic root replacement.
- To compare outcomes of the modified Bentall procedure using partial upper sternotomy versus full sternotomy.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 768 patients undergoing isolated Bentall surgery (Jan 2000 - Jan 2021).
- 98 patients had partial sternotomy (PS) and were matched 2:1 to 196 patients with full sternotomy (FS).
- Exclusions included re-operations, endocarditis, acute dissections, and major concomitant procedures.
Main Results:
- Procedure time was slightly longer in PS (205 min vs. 192.5 min FS), but bypass and cross-clamp times were similar.
- Eight PS procedures were converted to FS, mainly due to bleeding (6 cases).
- Re-exploration for bleeding was higher in PS (11% vs. 4.1% FS). PS patients had shorter hospital stays (9.5 vs. 10.5 days). No significant differences in mortality or other complications were observed.
Conclusions:
- Partial upper sternotomy for Bentall operations is comparable to full sternotomy regarding perfusion, cross-clamp times, and overall mortality.
- A low threshold for conversion to full sternotomy is advised for intraoperative complications, especially bleeding.
- This approach offers potential benefits like shorter hospitalization, with careful management of bleeding risks.
