Posterior pericardiotomy in J-shaped ministernotomy

Posterior pericardiotomy is a well-established approach for preventing pericardial effusion following cardiac surgery. The procedure can be easily performed after a full sternotomy; it decreases the number of manifestations of retained blood syndrome. However, there is a lack of data on the feasibility and efficacy of posterior pericardiotomy in ministernotomy. In this video tutorial, we demonstrate our technique for performing a posterior pericardiotomy in ascending aortic replacement performed through J-shaped ministernotomy.