Minimally Invasive Beating Heart Mitral Valve Repair in a Patient With Connective Tissue Disease at Prohibitive Risk for Redo Sternotomy

Sternal reentry when the ascending aorta is adherent to the posterior table of the sternum is associated with substantial risk. A minimally invasive right thoracotomy beating heart approach is an alternative when the aorta cannot be cross-clamped. This report details this technique for a complex reoperative mitral valve repair procedure performed in a patient with connective tissue disease who had required multiple aortic operations and presented with heart failure and severe functional mitral regurgitation.