Complication rates soared. The federal government doesn't regulate medical procedures, so it's up to doctors and hospitals to police their own. Sometimes the policing takes a while to catch up. And some minimally invasive surgeries never have lived up to their billing. The pain is less.
Hospitalization is less.
That's not cosmetic. It seems reasonable to assume that some minimally invasive cardiac techniques will eventually prove their worth. For now, however, heart-surgery candidates should look for surgeons who have successfully completed at least 50 of the procedures in question. Other new approaches that are even more experimental are coming. Inc. All rights reserved.