title: Repair of secundum atrial septal defect: limiting the incision without sacrificing exposure.
abstract: A simple and effective technique for repair of secundum atrial septal defect is described. The heart is exposed through a limited midline skin incision and partial sternotomy, and the atrial septal defect is closed through a right atriotomy with ascending aortic and dual venous cannulation. This approach achieves a cosmetically superior result with standard instrumentation and cardiopulmonary bypass techniques, without compromising exposure or using peripheral incisions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0118, USA.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: McElhinney
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: F L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Hanley
mesh_terms: D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D013249:Sternum / Q000601:surgery