Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery: "The Leipzig experience (original) (raw)

Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery has become a routine procedure at our institution. The present study analyzed the early and long-term outcomes of patients undergoing minimally invasive mitral valve surgery over the last decade, with special focus on mitral valve repairs (MVRp). The preoperative variables, intraoperative data and postoperative outcomes of patients undergoing minimally invasive mitral valve surgery were prospectively collected in our database from May 1999 to December 2010. The survival and freedom from reoperation were evaluated with life tables and Kaplan-Meier analyses. A total of 3,438 patients underwent minimally invasive mitral valve surgery, of which 2,829 were MVRps and 609 were mitral valve replacements (MVR). Forty-five patients (1.6%) required MVR due to failure of repair. The mean age was 60.3±13 years. More than a third of patients underwent concomitant procedures like tricuspid valve surgery, atrial septal defect (ASD) closure and cryoablation. T...