Total miniaturized cardiopulmonary bypass: the next step in minimally invasive aortic valve replacement

Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement has been established in many centres over the last decade. Although numerous modifications have been described to date, these solely involve variations of the utilized operative incision. Total miniaturized cardiopulmonary bypass (tMCPB) offers the theoretical potential of reducing even further the overall procedural "invasiveness". We describe our initial experience of an application of MCPB for aortic valve replacement through a minimal incision.