Outcomes Following Initial Multicenter Experience with Robotic Aortic Valve Replacement: Defining a Path Forward
Abstract
In the current era of available minimally invasive transcatheter and surgical options for the initial management of symptomatic aortic valve disease, patients and providers may seek alternatives to a traditional sternotomy approach for surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). While the controversies surrounding the optimal approach for low to intermediate risk patients are being worked out through the continued examination of longitudinal evidence, one thing remains certain - the longitudinal outcomes of open SAVR have been consistent over time.
While alternative anterior chest wall options exist for a minimally invasive approach to aortic valve surgery, in an effort to maintain the technical aspects of traditional prosthetic SAVR but further reduce invasiveness, lateral mini-thoracotomy endoscopic robotic-assisted aortic valve replacment (RAVR) has been established. The objective of this review was to report the initial 200 international cases performed, provide a status update on the progress of multicenter RAVR adoption, and present recommendations on program development and training.