Thirty-five years of single-center experience in cardiac myxoma surgery and related postoperative complications.

Introduction: Myxoma is the most common benign primary cardiac tumor.

Aim: To present a single center's 35-year experience with myxoma surgery in terms of surgical technique and postoperative complications.

Material and methods: The data of 166 patients (56.7 ±12.6 years old, 68.1% female) with surgically removed myxoma were retrospectively analyzed. Information on blood transfusions, additional procedures and postoperative complications was collected.

Results: A median sternotomy was performed in 97.5% of patients. A right mini-thoracotomy was performed in 4 patients. Most (95.2%) patients were semi-urgent. The reason for truly urgent surgery was hemodynamic instability in 4.8% of patients. Crystalloid cardioplegia was used in 62% of cases. Postoperative complications were observed in 12% of patients. One death was observed on the first postoperative day. During hospitalization, 6 deaths (3.6%) were observed. The most common cause of death was multisystemic organ failure. There were no gender differences in mortality and complications.

Conclusions: Surgical treatment of myxomas is a relatively safe procedure with a mortality rate comparable to other types of cardiac surgery. The postoperative complication rate is low. Gender has no influence on the complication rate or type.