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JULIO C. DAVILA, MD

AMA Arch Surg. 1966;92(2):308-309.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

SURGICAL exposure of the mitral valve, whether approached from the left or the right, has, in the experience of most surgeons, been less than ideal. The author prefers the left-sided approach except in cases where the aortic or tricuspid valves also require surgery.

When the valve is approached from the left, its exposure is frequently perturbing because the plane of the valve slopes caudad, away from the surgeon's line of vision. Furthermore, the margin of atrial wall remaining between the usual anterolateral atriotomy incision and the atrioventricular groove forms a ledge which overhangs the valve and hides it unless this flap is firmly and widely retracted. The fragility of this tissue presents a serious hazard to use of any of a variety of standard clamps or retractors which easily cause tears or lacerations.

The retractor-clamp described here (Fig 1) is designed to gently but firmly clamp a broad arc of . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
PHILADELPHIA

From the Section of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, Temple University Medical Center.

Footnotes
Submitted for publication May 26, 1965.

Reprint requests to Department of Surgery, Temple University School of Medicine and Hospital, Broad and Ontario St, Philadelphia 19140.

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