Virtually any patient that is undergoing isolated valve surgery is a candidate for a minimally invasive approach. The small incisions of minimally invasive surgery, ..
In these approaches, there is no breaking or removal of ribs. Instead, the space between the ribs is used to gain access to the problematic valve. Although this is a minimally invasive approach, the standard techniques of heart surgery are utilized, i.e. heart lung machine and stopping the heart. .