Robotic dissection of the right internal thoracic artery through median sternotomy.

The use of robotic systems in cardiac surgeries aims at decreasing the surgical trauma. The totally endoscopic myocardial revascularization, assisted by the DaVinci robot (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, California) is feasible and the learning process must be carried out in steps. The first step is the preparation of the left internal thoracic artery, through the totally endoscopic approach. The case presented here proposes the dissection of the right internal thoracic artery through complete sternotomy. It proposes a new step directed at the totally endoscopic procedure, aiming at decreasing the injuries caused by the learning curve.