Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery is associated with excellent resource utilization, cost, and outcomes

OBJECTIVES: Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (mini-MVR) has numerous associated benefits. However, many studies fail to include higher risk patients. We hypothesized that a minimally invasive approach in a representative cohort provides excellent outcomes with reduced resource utilization. METHODS: Mitral valve surgical records from 2011-2016 were paired with institutional financial records. Patients were stratified by approach and propensity-score matched to balance preoperative difference. The primary outcomes of interest were resource utilization including cost, discharge to a facility, and readmission. RESULTS: A total of 478 patients underwent mitral surgery (21% mini-MVR) and were balanced after matching (n=74 per group) with 18% of patients having non-degenerative mitral disease. Outcomes were excellent with similar rates of major morbidity (9.5% mini-MVR vs 10.8% conventional, p=0.78). Mini-MVR cases had lower rates of transfusion (11% vs 27%, p=0.01) and shorter ventilator times 3.7 vs 6.0 hrs (p