Minimally invasive (with a small incision) open heart surgeries are heart surgeries performed without completely opening the breastbone. In these surgeries, either the breastbone (sternum) is partially opened, or the procedure is performed by reaching the heart between the ribs without touching the breastbone. With this method, all valves can be intervened, and it is also possible to bypass the coronary vessels that feed the front of the heart.
For the minimally invasive surgeries that we perform most frequently, mitral valve replacement, mitral valve repair and tricuspid valve repair, it is possible to perform right-sided surgery in men. A 4 cm incision is made just below the breast, and a 3-4 cm incision is made in the shape of a semicircle surrounding the nipple in women. The surgery is performed entirely through this incision. In addition, three small incisions of 0.5 cm and one of 1 cm are made in the chest cage to place the camera and telescopic instruments specially produced for these surgeries. The connection to the heart-lung machine is done through the inguinal veins.
The biggest advantage of this procedure is that since the sternum is not opened, the patient feels very little pain after the surgery and has a very rapid recovery period. However, the most important factor affecting the severity of postoperative pain is the cracks and fractures that occur due to strain on the ribs. Since injury to the ribs can cause severe pain, we perform our surgeries using only plastic soft tissue retractors, without using metal chest retractors that separate the ribs from both sides. This is an innovation that allows the incision to be made as small as possible and contributes greatly to the patient's post-operative comfort.
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