Online Institute for Cardiac Surgery Read the transcript of a past WebMD chat on minimally invasive heart surgery with Dr. Bryan Steinberg. Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Eliminating the need for median sternotomy greatly reduces the trauma and pain associated with open-chest surgery and improves quality of life for patients. In the hospital, reduced post-operative discomfort enables patients to more quickly begin a much shorter recovery process.
Most patients ambulate more easily and participate more actively in their personal care.
Currently, NYU patients are comfortably managed on a four-day care map. Additionally, this approach lowers risk of complications such as bleeding and infection. Upon returning home, many patients resume their normal lives in much less time after minimally invasive cardiac surgery. They require minimal assistance and report needing little or no pain medication. Often, they begin cardiac rehabilitation sooner and consistently maintain their regimen.