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Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery: Current Status and Future Perspectives

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Cardiovascular Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2026 | Viewed by 762

Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Nippon Medical School Musashikosugi Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan
Interests: minimally invasive cardiovascular surgery; advanced imaging; surgical electrophysiology; emergency surgery; aortic surgery; valvular surgery; arrhythmic surgery; coronary artery bypass surgery
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advances in medical technology and device innovation are progressing at an unprecedented pace, ushering the field of cardiovascular surgery into a transformative new era. Despite these remarkable developments, the true driving force behind such progress remains the unwavering dedication and passion of surgeons—an enduring foundation that has shaped the discipline since antiquity. The pursuit and embodiment of the noble mission to preserve human life may indeed be regarded as an art form in its own right.

In this context, we are pleased to announce a Special Issue focusing on minimally invasive surgery in cardiac and aortic surgery. This Special Issue aims to highlight cutting-edge research, pioneering techniques, and forward-looking perspectives that are advancing the field worldwide.

Topics of Interest

We welcome submissions including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Innovative techniques and approaches in minimally invasive cardiac or aortic surgery;
  • Technological advancements;
  • Perioperative management and outcomes;
  • Clinical trials and registry analyses;
  • Experimental studies relevant to minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery;
  • Future perspectives and unresolved challenges.

Submission Types

  • Original Research Articles.
  • Review Articles.

Invitation for Submission

We warmly invite investigators, clinicians, and researchers from around the world to contribute their latest and most impactful work to this Special Issue. We look forward to receiving your valuable submissions and to presenting a comprehensive overview of the current state and future direction of minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery.

Dr. Shun-Ichiro Sakamoto
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aortic-preserving surgery
  • hybrid cardiovascular surgery
  • autologous tissue repair
  • enhanced recovery after surgery
  • minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS)
  • geriatric surgery

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 1301 KB  
Article
Aortic Arch Incision and Closure Technique (AICT) for Proximal Fixation of the Frozen Elephant Trunk
by Shun-Ichiro Sakamoto, Kenji Suzuki, Yoshiyuki Watanabe, Motohiro Maeda, Tomohiro Murata, Atsushi Hiromoto and Yosuke Ishii
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(5), 1861; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15051861 - 28 Feb 2026
Viewed by 510
Abstract
Background: To describe an aortic arch incision and closure technique (AICT) for proximal fixation of a frozen elephant trunk (FET) and to report early outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 15 consecutive patients who underwent distal arch repair with an FET using [...] Read more.
Background: To describe an aortic arch incision and closure technique (AICT) for proximal fixation of a frozen elephant trunk (FET) and to report early outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 15 consecutive patients who underwent distal arch repair with an FET using AICT (mean age 77 ± 7 years; 14 men). Indications were distal arch aneurysm (n = 12), acute Stanford type B dissection (n = 2), and distal arch enlargement after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (n = 1). Under circulatory arrest, an oblique arch aortotomy was created, the FET was deployed antegrade, trimmed, and sutured to the native aortic wall during simultaneous closure, allowing extended posterior fixation. Clinical outcomes and postoperative computed tomography were assessed. Results: No ischemic complications related to graft kinking or thrombosis, reoperation for bleeding, stroke, spinal cord ischemia, or organ failure occurred. One patient died of pneumonia on postoperative day 47 (6.7%). Cervical branch reconstruction was required in 12 patients (80%), whereas two patients with type III arch morphology and acute angulation were treated without debranching via a Zone 3 aortotomy. At a median follow-up of 29 months, no proximal endoleak was observed; one distal endoleak occurred without reintervention. Coronary bypass grafts remained patent in all patients with concomitant or prior CABG. Conclusions: AICT provided secure proximal FET fixation and arch closure while preserving the ascending aorta, offering an alternative to total arch replacement in selected distal arch pathologies. Full article
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