In what is being billed as a first-of-its kind study, minimally invasive approaches to heart surgery on patents with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder yielded better outcomes than the traditional approach that requires splitting of the breast bone.

The study conducted at the Mount Sinai Medical Center of Florida involved 100 patients who underwent the less traumatic approach while another 65 underwent a traditional median sternotomy surgery. Patients in both groups were at least 68 years old. The minimally invasive approach requires a 2 inch incision on the right side of the chest while the more invasive approach requires splitting the breast bone.

The results showed that the 100 patients experiencing the minimally invasive procedure had better outcomes on survival, postoperative complications and length of hospital stay.

Specifically, 30 percent of the patients in the minimally invasive group suffered post operative complications compared to 54 percent in the traditional surgery group. There were zero kidney failures in the group of 100 on whom the less traumatic procedure was performed compared with 1.5 percent in the other group.

Infection too, was a point of difference with only 3 percent of the former group suffering from an infection after their procedure, compared with 11 percent that underwent the more invasive procedure.

The minimally invasive approach also fared better in that it reduced patients’ length of hospital stay and the amount of time spent in the intensive care unit – six days and 47 hours – compared with the median sternotomy group – nine days and 73 hours.

These results were published in the European Journal of Cardio Thoracic Surgery.

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