Pulmonary Function following Aortic Valve Replacement:
A Comparison between Ministernotomy and Median Sternotomy
Alejandro Aris MD,, Maria Luisa Camara MD, Pere Casan MD,
Hector Litvan MD

Twenty-six patients underwent aortic valve replacement (AVR) either through a median sternotomy (n = 14) or a ministernotomy (n = 12). Pulmonary function studies, including forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second, PaO₂ and PaCO₂ were performed preoperatively, and at a mean of five days postoperatively. All four variables decreased significantly in the postoperative period (p values ranged from <0.003 to <0.0001), but there were no significant differences between both groups. It is concluded that, following AVR, there is a significant pulmonary dysfunction that it is not prevented by the use of a ministernotomy.