Endoscopic Ascending Aorta Replacement

In this video, the authors describe their endoscopic technique to perform a minimally invasive ascending aorta replacement. Cardiopulmonary bypass was achieved through the femoral artery and femoral venous cannulation. The working port was a 3-4 cm anterior mini-right thoracotomy in the second right intercostal space. Three additional 5 mm mini-ports were needed for the introduction of the vent line in the fourth intercostal space, a 30° thoracoscope in the second intercostal space, and the Chitwood clamp in the first intercostal space. A previous high experience in endoscopic surgery is mandatory to approach the ascending aorta surgery using this approach.

Suggested Reading

Cresce GD, Sella M, Hinna Danesi T, Favaro A, Salvador L. Minimally invasive endoscopic aortic valve replacement: Operative Results. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2020 Autumn;32(3):416-423.