Aortic valve replacement with a stentless pericardial valve through minimal access surgery.

We are presenting here a case of a 45-year-old physically active man who underwent aortic valve replacement with a stentless biological valve by means of minimally invasive Heartport technique. Access was gained via a midline incision of 4 cm at the upper part of the sternum and a midline manubriotomy with one-sided extension into the third intercostal space. Cardiopulmonary bypass was established with a Heartport straightshot arterial cannula and two venous cannulae inserted into superior vena cava (SVC) and via femoral vein into inferior vena cava (IVC). The long instruments supplied for minimal access surgery were used for the standard stentless valve implantation technique. The patient had a speedy and uneventful recovery, discharged from hospital on the third postoperative day and resumed full activities within 2 weeks. Minimally invasive stentless tissue valve replacement is presented as a safe and feasible treatment option for the young/middle-aged group of patients.