The goal of the minimally invasive technique is to reduce the amount of trauma to the patient while maximizing the health benefit. In conventional open heart surgery, a full sternotomy is performed. The average length of a sternotomy is 30 cm . The sternum bone of the patient is never fully broken. Conventional open heart surgery requires the use of cardiopulmonary bypass, the heart-lung machine.
Patients can generally leave the hospital two-three days after a minimally invasive procedure.
Minimally invasive surgery was originally conceived of by a Russian surgeon in the early 1960s. Recent advances in medical technology have brought this technique to the fore as a viable surgical alternative. Still to come, a description of minimally invasive valve repair and replacement.