Minimally invasive cardiac surgery in the adult: surgical instruments, equipment, and techniques

To clarify the special instruments and equipment used for minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS), we examined the initial experiences with MICS operations with ministernotomy or minithoracotomy at our institution. Fifty adult patients with congenital, valvular, and/or ischemic heart diseases underwent MICS operations, and all surgical procedures were completed without conversion to full sternotomy. The length of the skin incision was about 10 cm or less in all patients. Postoperative recovery was favorable, and the majority of the patients were discharged from the hospital around the end of the second postoperative week. In this series of patients, an oscillating bone saw, lifting type retractor, 2 blade spreader, cannula with a balloon, and right-angled aortic clamp among other items, were very useful for successfully performing various operations with MICS approaches and techniques. The associated results suggest that MICS with ministernotomy or minithoracotomy was feasible using special instruments and equipment and could be encouraged for adult patients with various cardiovascular diseases.