Aortic Valve Surgery via Limited Incisions

New incisions, foreign to “traditional” cardiac surgeons, are now being touted as a new answer to approach cardiac valvular structures. We and others, convinced that access to the heart could be achieved via a modification of the traditional sternotomy, have elected to perform pediatric heart operations via a partial sternotomy; i.e., only a portion of the sternum is divided in the midline. This approach incorporates traditional cannulation techniques with more limited exposure to the heart.