Most patients with an ASD are candidates for minimally invasive surgery. Surgeons perform the operation by making only a small 4-6 cm incision on the right side of the chest instead of the large midline-incision and division of the sternum used in traditional open surgery.
The surgery is performed through the small space between the ribs. The heart-lung machine is inserted via a small incision in the groin, allowing the heart to be stopped for the sewing of the patch. A soft retractor is inserted, which gently opens the narrow space between the ribs, enabling the surgeon to insert the specialized minimally invasive instruments. An endoscope, ideally with a 3D camera, is inserted that will provide a high-resolution image of the heart and the ASD.
Using this technique, the stability of the chest is fully preserved, patients recover more quickly, and the minimal scar will be barely visible after the patient recovers.
