Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery Using a Cold Fibrillatory Cardiac Arrest Technique in Patients With Prior...

Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (mini-MVS) is typically reserved for patients who have not undergone open cardiac surgery. In the reoperative setting, using intrapericardial dissection for crossclamping the aorta through a minimally invasive approach can be difficult and, at times, risky. Cold fibrillatory cardiac arrest (CFCA) with systemic cardiopulmonary bypass without cross-clamping is a well-described technique; however, data about its safety for patients who undergo reoperative mini-MVS are limited.

Data for 34 patients who underwent reoperative mini-MVS with CFCA from March 2017 to March 2022 were reviewed retrospectively. A mini right thoracotomy (n = 30) or robotic (n = 4) approach was used. Systemic hypothermia was induced to a target temperature of 25 °C.

Patient mean (SD) age was 64.5 (9.6) years, and 15 of 34 (44.1%) patients were women. Of those 34 patients, 23 (67.6%) had severe regurgitation, and 11 (32.4%) had severe stenosis. Before mini-MVS, 28 patients had undergone valve surgery, and 8 had undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The mitral valve was repaired in 5 of 34 (14.7%) and replaced in 29 of 34 (85.3%) patients. No difference was observed in preoperative and postoperative left ventricular function (P = .82). In 1 patient, kidney failure developed that necessitated dialysis. No postoperative stroke or mortality at 30 days occurred.

Mini-MVS with CFCA is well tolerated in patients with prior cardiac surgery. Myocardial function was not impaired, nor was the risk of stroke increased in this cohort, indicating that CFCA is a safe alternative in this high-risk population.