Can you describe minimally invasive heart surgery ?

Yes: This would be heart surgery performed without cutting through the sternum (breast bone) at the front of the chest.

When?: Most aortic and mitral valve procedures and some limited coronary bypass procedures. They are usually done with peripheral cannulation and small sternotomies, thoracotomies.

Lots of options: We try to avoid splitting the breast bone completely. Some surgeons open just the top or bottom third. Others avoid opening the sternum completely by making a 2-3 in cut between the ribs. Some bypass surgeries are done w/o the heart lung machine. Most are done with it. Often one or both groins are opened with 1-2 inch cut to access the femoral vessels to use for heart lung machine.