Robotic Mitral Valve Surgery

Robotic mitral valve surgery is the most commonly performed robotic cardiac surgery. The first robotic mitral valve surgery took place in 1998. Differences from traditional mitral valve surgery include thoracic access via ports and peripheral cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Although new techniques result in new complications, the robotic approach has many benefits: no need for sternotomy, reduced postoperative pain, and decreased hospital length of stay. The advent of robotic mitral valve surgery has resulted in drastic implications for anesthetic management: incorporation of regional techniques to address analgesia, need for lung isolation to optimize surgical exposure, and placement of catheters to assist in CPB or cardiac arrest. After a case presentation, this chapter details the surgical technique for robotic mitral valve surgery and the anesthetic implications.