Early results of robotically assisted mitral valve surgery: Analysis of the first 1000 cases

Objective: The study objective was to assess the technical and process improvement and clinical outcomes of robotic mitral valve surgery by examining the first 1000 cases performed in a tertiary care center. Methods: We reviewed the first 1000 patients (mean age, 56 +/- 10 years) undergoing robotic primary mitral valve surgery, including concomitant procedures (n = 185), from January 2006 to November 2013. Mitral valve disease cause was degenerative (n = 960, 96%), endocarditis (n = 26, 2.6%), rheumatic (n = 10, 1.0%), ischemic (n = 3, 0.3%), and fibroelastoma (n = 1, 0.1%). All procedures were performed via right chest access with femoral perfusion for cardiopulmonary bypass. Results: Mitral valve repair was attempted in 997 patients (2 planned replacements and 1 resection of fibroelastoma), 992 (99.5%) of whom underwent valve repair, and 5 (0.5%) of whom underwent valve replacement. Intraoperative post-repair echocardiography showed that 99.7% of patients receiving repair (989/992) left the operating room with no or mild mitral regurgitation, and predischarge echocardiography showed that mitral regurgitation remained mild or less in 97.9% of patients (915/935). There was 1 hospital death (0.1%), and 14 patients (1.4%) experienced a stroke; stroke risk declined from 2% in the first 500 patients to 0.8% in the second 500 patients. Over the course of the experience, myocardial ischemic and cardiopulmonary bypass times (P < .0001), transfusion (P = .003), and intensive care unit and postoperative lengths of stay (P < .05) decreased. Conclusions: Robotic mitral valve surgery is associated with a high likelihood of valve repair and low operative mortality and morbidity. The combination of algorithm-driven patient selection and increased experience enhanced clinical outcomes and procedural efficiency.