Simple De-airing Technique for Aortic Valve Replacement with Upper Ministernotomy
摘要:
Upper ministernotomy for aortic valve replacement is intimidating for many surgeons, not only for limited surgical exposure but also for the inability to complete de-airing the apex of the heart. Conversion to full sternotomy had been reported for this inability to de-air the apex of the heart in a limited number of cases. We describe a simple de-airing method by introducing a 16 GA catheter into the apex of the left ventricle through the aorta and prosthetic valve.