At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital, our team of surgeons always seek the least invasive option available because the benefits are so great for you. These benefits include:

• Faster recovery and shorter hospital stay
• Smaller incisions and less scarring
• Minimal blood loss
• Less trauma on your body (no splitting of the breastbone)
• Better postoperative lung function

Minimally invasive cardiac surgeries performed at Ohio State

Operating on the heart is complex, but technology is rapidly improving every single day and increasing our options. Many surgeries that needed traditional, or open heart, surgical methods years ago can now be done as minimally invasive heart surgeries. At Ohio State, the following surgeries can be done using minimally invasive techniques:

• Aortic valve replacement
• Atrial septal defect closure
• Atrioventricular canal defect surgery
• Biventricular epicardial pacing lead placement
• Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)
• Off-pump CABG
• Heart valve surgery
• Maze procedure for atrial fibrillation
• Mitral valve repair
• Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB)
• Patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure
• Radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation
• Removal of heart tumors
• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
• Tricuspid valve repair or replacement
• Ventricular assist device placement

How is minimally invasive surgery performed?

Here is a breakdown of the various types of minimally invasive surgery and how they’re performed differently.

Keyhole surgery

Using small incisions between your ribs and gentle retraction, your surgeon can access different areas of your heart using long, thin tools inserted into your chest through the same or additional small incisions.

Robotic heart surgery

Your surgeon starts by making one or more small incisions in the side of your chest. Robotic arms, guided by your surgeon, are inserted between your ribs.

Robotic-assisted surgery is an advanced method of surgery using state-of-the-art technology to perform minimally invasive procedures. Your surgeon is stationed at a console and guides the robot’s every movement. The robot translates the surgeon’s hand motions to perform even the most complex and delicate procedures.

Specialized micro-instruments used by the robot allow for greater range of motion than possible with the human hand, resulting in unprecedented precision and control. The surgeon sees high-resolution, three-dimensional images of the robot’s every move on a state-of-the-art camera.

It's important to note that the robotic system can’t be programmed, nor can it make decisions on its own. The Da Vinci® System requires that every surgical maneuver be directed by your surgeon from the console, while the cardiac surgical team remains by your side at the operating table.

Learn more about robotic heart surgery

Who is a candidate for minimally invasive heart surgery?

Your eligibility for minimally invasive heart surgery depends on several factors, including your personal health history and what type of surgery you need. Minimally invasive heart surgery may not be an option if you have multiple areas of the heart to repair.

You and your surgeon will discuss and compare the benefits and risks of each type of heart surgery.

No matter your surgical needs, our team of cardiac surgeons has extensive experience in all heart surgery options.

What are the risks of minimally invasive heart surgery?

Minimally invasive heart surgery is still heart surgery and carries many of the same risks of traditional open heart surgery, including: 

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Postoperative pain
• Atrial fibrillation
• Stroke
• Heart attack

While rare, it’s possible your surgeon may need to change from a minimally invasive surgery to a traditional open heart surgery in the middle of your operation. Your surgical team will review these possible scenarios with you prior to your surgery.

Why choose Ohio State for minimally invasive heart surgery?

Utilizing state-of-the-art equipment and technologies, our surgeons, nurses and support staff are committed to providing you with all the benefits of minimally invasive surgery.

As an academic medical center, we practice and teach the value of these procedures. More than a decade after performing the nation’s first robotic heart surgery, the Ross Heart Hospital continues to pioneer robotic surgery as one of a small number of active training centers in the United States using one of the Da Vinci® Robot Systems.

By establishing these robotic procedures as the standard of care, the Ohio State Ross Heart Hospital builds on its tradition of innovative cardiac surgical techniques, training surgeons who specifically come to Ohio State’s Center for Advanced Robotic Surgery to become experts in the robotic field.

Our cardiothoracic surgery experts have led the development of many procedures widely used today, and they’re focused on continued innovation and development of new therapies and techniques. Here, you are in excellent hands.