Evaluation of Robotic-assisted Mitral Surgery With the daVinci X Surgical System

Robotic assistance allows performance of mitral valve operations with a truly minimally invasive and totally thoracoscopic approach, with significant advantages for patients compared to sternotomy-based surgery. Nonetheless, its diffusion has been limited by: 1) significant learning curve and technical requirements; 2) increased immediate financial costs due to dedicated equipment and materials. The aim of the present study is to perform a prospective data collection and evaluation of the in-hospital and follow-up clinical results of mitral valve repair using the last generation DaVinci X robotic platform. A cost-effectiveness analysis of this approach will be also conducted, under a global healthcare system perspective (including the overall patients' pathway starting from diagnosis of mitral valve disease until the completion of the 1st postoperative year). Since the 'competitor' surgical technique is not represented by sternotomy-based mitral surgery, but instead by minimally invasive, video-assisted mitral surgery, patients operated on using such technique will serve as controls.