Dr. Thoralf Sundt answers the question: 'How Painful Is a Sternotomy Incision?' — -- Question: What is a sternotomy incision and how painful is it? Answer: A sternotomy incision is the usual ...

Is minimally invasive heart surgery to repair a mitral valve a safer option than open-heart surgery? Is it common for a surgeon to have to switch to an open-heart procedure after starting the surgery?

Getting patients physically active as early as 2 weeks after a sternotomy for CABG or valve surgery appears to be just as safe and effective as waiting the standard month and a half, according to ...

For patients who undergo cardiac surgery, systematic use of a two-pronged strategy that involves sternotomy closure with rigid-plate fixation (RPF) plus an enhanced-recovery protocol (ERP) can produce ...

Patients with degenerative mitral valve (MV) regurgitation that calls for surgery may, for the most part, safely choose either a standard procedure requiring a midline sternotomy or one performed ...