Approach ‘may appeal to patients’
In an editorial accompanying the publication of the study in JAMA, Maurice Enriquez-Sarano, MD, Minneapolis Heart Institute, Minnesota, says the results should be integrated into patient management.
“Mini-thoracotomy mitral repair carried low risk and was highly effective compared with sternotomy. It can thus be applied successfully by surgeons who achieve the necessary expertise,” he notes.
“Mini-thoracotomy may appeal to patients because the procedure is less disfiguring than sternotomy. The early (6-week) benefit, albeit small and transient, is important to patients,” he adds.
The study was funded by the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Research. Dr. Akowuah reports no relevant financial relationships with industry. Dr. Enriquez-Sarano reports receiving consulting fees from Edwards Lifesciences, Artivion, ChemImage, HighLife, and Corcym.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.