Minimally-invasive Heart Valve Surgery

Advances in minimally invasive heart valve surgery are providing a wide range of benefits to Swedish patients, including faster recovery times and scarring that is much less visible. Minimally invasive heart surgery requires the skills of a team of cardiac specialists, including surgeons, cardiac anesthesiologists, perfusionists, assistants and the operating room nursing staff. The Swedish Heart & Vascular Institute is widely recognized for its experienced and highly trained teams of cardiac specialists.

Benefits of Minimally-Invasive Heart Valve Surgery

Thousands of minimally invasive cardiac surgeries are performed each year in the United States, providing a number of benefits to patients. One of the most important is avoiding a sternotomy, or open-chest surgery. On average, patients who have had minimally invasive heart surgery with no complications are in the hospital for four days. In comparison, the average stay after a full, open-chest surgery is five to 10 days.

All Swedish cardiac patients who require valve repair or replacement are considered candidates for minimally invasive cardiac surgery.

Mitral valve repair or replacement
Aortic valve replacement
Tricuspid valve repair or replacement
Atrial septal defect repairs
MAZE procedure for atrial fibrillation