Minimally Invasive Valve Surgery

Traditional heart surgery requires the surgeon to "split the breast bone." 

Sternal sparing approaches use alternative incisions through which to perform surgery. These include a mini-thoractomy (though the rib spaces) and a hemi-sternotomy (a partial incision through the breast bone). 


Minimally invasive valve surgery is a breakthrough approach to treating heart valve disease. Rather than making a large incision through the breastbone (sternum) to gain access to the heart, this method uses sophisticated instruments to perform the surgery through a smaller incision at the side of the chest.

Minimally invasive surgery has many benefits, including the following:
  • Faster recovery and a quicker return to normal activities
  • Less time spent in the hospital
  • Better cosmetic results. Small incisions that result in little to no scarring. Depending upon the procedure, incisions may be four to five dime-size slits or a 3- to 5-inch incision at the side of the chest.
  • Quicker resolution of pain, with many patients able to control pain after discharge with Tylenol or other over-the-counter pain medicines. Because the breastbone (sternum) remains intact, patients avoid the risk for infection and other complications associated with cutting it (sternotomy) that may occur with traditional open-chest procedures

Cardiac surgeons at the Barnabas Health Heart Centers, who are leaders in the field of minimally invasive valvular heart surgery, have performed more of these procedures than surgeons at any other hospital in the region. Minimally invasive valve surgery is a highly advanced technique that requires special expertise and equipment. Only select hospitals offer this approach

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