Video-assisted aortic and mitral valve operations

Video-assisted cardiac surgery has been applied recently in the management of valvular heart disease. Fourteen patients were operated on for aortic valve lesions and 16 patients were operated on for mitral valve lesions via ministernotomy. Cardiopulmonary bypass was established through aorto-vena cava cannulation with aortic cross-clamped and antegrade or retrograde delivery of blood cardioplegia. All lesions were corrected successfully under video-assisted endoscope or direct vision. There were one hospital death and one late death. Most of the survivors were in NYHA functional class I or II.