Minithoracotomy vs. Median Sternotomy for Surgical Mitral Valve Repair

A trial suggests minimal difference in outcomes between the less-invasive minithoracotomy and standard sternotomy approaches.

Surgical mitral valve repair is currently the recommended treatment for most patients with severe degenerative mitral regurgitation. Although mitral valve repair has been traditionally performed via median sternotomy, less-invasive approaches have been developed in recent years to reduce complications and accelerate patient recovery. However, high-quality data on relevant outcomes of these approaches are lacking.

In an open-label, randomized trial, investigators from 10 UK centers compared recovery in patients' physical function at 3 months after surgical mitral valve repair with minithoracotomy or traditional median sternotomy performed by surgeons with expertise in the assigned procedure. Among 330 total patients (mean age, 67 years; 30% w…

Reviewing Author

David J. Cohen, MD, MSc

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMedtronic; Edwards Lifesciences; Abbott Vascular; Boston Scientific; St. Francis Hospital

Speaker’s BureauBoston Scientific; ZOLL Medical

Grant/Research SupportEdwards Lifesciences; Abbott Vascular; Boston Scientific; Corvia Medical; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Phillips, Inc.; St. Paul’s Hospital; V-Wave, Inc; ZOLL Medical; CathWorks, ANCORA

Editorial BoardsJACC; American Heart Journal; EuroIntervention; JSCAI; Structural Heart Journal

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology TVT Registry (Co-Chair, Risk Model Development Committee); Cardiovascular Research Foundation (Co-Director, TCT Annual Meeting; Co-Director, New York Valves Annual Meeting)