Right anterior mini-thoracotomy

Right anterior mini-thoracotomy (MIAVR) is a promising technique for aortic valve replacement. We aimed at comparing its outcomes with those obtained in a propensity-matched group of patients undergoing sternotomy at our two high-volume centers.Main clinical and operative data of patients undergoing aortic valve replacement between January 2010 and May 2016 were retrospectively collected. A total of 678 patients were treated with a standard full sternotomy approach, while MIAVR was performed in 502. Propensity score matching identified 363 patients per each group.In-hospital mortality was not significantly different between the propensity-matched groups (1.7% in MIAVR patientsOur experience shows that mini-access isolated aortic valve surgery is a reproducible, safe and effective procedure with similar outcomes and no longer operative times compared to conventional sternotomy.