title: An institution's initial experience with port-access minimally invasive cardiac surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the learning curve associated with Port-Access minimally invasive cardiac surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Initial 10 patients undergoing Port-Access minimally Invasive cardiac surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Minimally invasive cardiac surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 10 patients experienced an uneventful intraoperative and immediate postoperative course. Only one patient experienced postoperative cardiovascular morbidity, which was an episode of new-onset atrial fibrillation after mitral valve surgery that was successfully treated with pharmacologic therapy. Extubation times and postoperative discharge times were less than historic controls receiving the same anesthetic technique at the same institution.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This institution's initial experience with 10 patients undergoing Port-Access minimally invasive cardiac surgery suggests an acceptable learning curve and decreased extubation and postoperative discharge times, which should translate into reduced health care costs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Loyola University Medical Center, Foster G. McGaw Hospital, Maywood, IL 60153, USA.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Chaney
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Nikolov
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tuchek
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bakhos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies