How to Do It: Importance of Left Atrial Side Retraction in Robotic and Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery

A customized transthoracic atrial retractor was previously developed for robotic and minimally invasive mitral valve surgery, but it has sometimes failed to provide sufficient exposure of the mitral valve because some atrial tissues push away the operative field from the right side. This report describes 3 new atrial side retractors (the foldaway retractor, the spoon retractor, and the wired retractor) and their use in performing robotic mitral valve repair in fresh frozen human cadavers. These retractors provided exceptional and consistent exposure of the left atrium in robotic and minimally invasive mitral valve surgery in human cadavers without causing traumatic injury, and these retractors should be useful in live patients because they will be used in arrested hearts.