Midterm Outcomes of Right Anterior Mini Thoracotomy Aortic Valve Replacement.

Background: Contemporary surgical approaches for aortic valve replacement (AVR) include full median sternotomy, hemi-sternotomy, and a right anterior mini thoracotomy (RAMT) approach. We report the midterm outcomes of RAMT for isolated AVR. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted, reporting the midterm outcomes of patients who underwent isolated RAMT AVR. The primary outcomes were death and disabling stroke within 30-days of surgery. The secondary outcomes were survival at latest follow-up assessment, hospital readmission for aortic valve disease, prosthetic valve function, and incidence of structural valve deterioration requiring reintervention on the aortic valve. Results: Seventy patients underwent isolated RAMT AVR between February 2016 and February 2018. One patient died from a cardiac cause within 30 days of surgery, whereas none experienced disabling postoperative strokes. The mean follow-up period for the cohort was 74.46 ± 7.54 months. At 95 months, a total of 49 patients were alive. During the follow-up period, 2 patients underwent median sternotomy, 1 for mitral valve replacement and tricuspid repair, and 1 for coronary artery bypass grafting. At last follow-up assessment, the average mean transvalvular gradient was 12.11 ± 9.15 mm Hg. One patient developed prosthetic valve infective endocarditis, and 1 patient was found to have prosthetic valve thrombosis. Prosthetic valve function was normal in 66 patients. At 95 months, freedom from aortic valve reintervention was 98.6%, as 1 patient required redo aortic root surgery. Conclusions: RAMT AVR can be done safely in the appropriate patient population. Midterm outcomes at our centre are promising, and they suggest that this approach is a good option for managing aortic stenosis.