Percutaneous right internal jugular venous cannulation in minimally invasive cardiac surgery

The applications of cardiac surgery (CS) have progressed most notably with the development of minimally invasive techniques. The usage of smaller diameter venous cannulas and vacuum-assisted venous return (VAVR), greatly provided the opportunity to perform minimally invasive procedures (MIP). This has increasingly led surgeons perform cardiac procedures through smaller than traditional incisions which was suggested by Doty et al. in 1998. Nonetheless, the reduced incision size has been matched by a corresponding increase in technical difficulty and operative time due to the limited cardiac exposure. With this regard, taking as much the cannulas off the operation field was a concern in order to ease the manipulation and exposure. Moreover, the success and relative ease of peripheral cannulation along with the use of VAVR has permitted the application of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) feasible for MIPs. The aim of this article is to inform in regard to the advantages and the ease of the application of percutaneous right internal jugular venous cannulation (PRIJVC) in MIPs.