Um estudo terapêutico comparativo prospectivo é realizado para avaliar o acesso posterior minimamente invasivo em artroplastia total do quadril comparado com o acesso lateral direto tradicional. O estudo inclui 76 pacientes submetidos à artroplastia total do quadril primárias não cimentadas por diagnóstico de osteoartrose primária e secundária. Não são incluídos, pacientes com qualquer tipo de coagulopatia, em uso de anticoagulantes ou antiagregante plaquetário, pacientes hipertensos sem controle medicamentoso, pacientes submetidos à qualquer cirurgia prévia do quadril, e pacientes com seqüela de displasia do desenvolvimento do quadril que tenham a cabeça femoral ectópica. O objetivo principal deste estudo é avaliar a perda volêmica que ocorre nestes pacientes. Há diferença de média de idade (p=0,017) no acesso minimamente invasivo (50,1 anos) em relação ao grupo controle (56,8 anos), porém não observamos diferenças entre os grupos quanto ao índice de massa corpórea, lado operado e diagnóstico inicial. Observa-se um sangramento menor (p<0,001) no período intra-operatório (745,6 ml contra 1282,8 ml), assim como, menor sangramento total (p<0,001) no acesso minimamente invasivo posterior (1083,5 ml contra 1682,3 ml). Relatamos diferença entre os grupos quanto à necessidade de transfusão alogênica, favorável aos pacientes do grupo minimamente invasivo (p=0,02), com 8,8% dos pacientes sendo transfundidos em relação a 28,6% dos pacientes do grupo controle. Nossa estimativa de sangramento no acesso minimamente invasivo posterior é significativamente maior que a literatura, porém a quantidade de unidades de concentrados de hemáceas transfundidas,assim como, a proporção de pacientes transfundidos são menores em relação aos outros autores. Concluímos que os pacientes submetidos ao acesso minimamente invasivo posterior apresentam menor sangramento, melhor resultado clínico precoce e posicionamento adequado dos componentes da prótese. / A therapeutic, comparative, prospective study was carried out to evaluate the minimally invasive posterior approach to total hip arthroplasty in relation to the traditional direct lateral approach. The study included 76 cases of primary total hip arthroplasty due to a diagnosis of primary or secondary osteoarthrosis. Patients were excluded from the study if they presented any type of coagulopathy and were using anticoagulants or platelet antiagregants; hypertension without medicinal control; any previous hip surgery; and sequelae of hip developmental dysplasia that might have led to an ectopic femoral head. The objective of our study was to evaluate the blood loss among patients for whom the minimally invasive posterior access is used. Regarding our patients\' ages, we observed a significant difference between the two groups: the mean age of the mini-incision group (50,1 years) was lower than the mean of the control group (56,8 years), p= 0.01. Lower total estimated bleeding was found in the mini-incision group (means of 1083,5 ml versus 1682,3 ml; p < 0.001) and lower intraoperative bleeding (means of 745,6 ml versus 1282,8 ml; p <0.001). There was difference in the need of allogenic transfusion between the two groups (8,8% versus 28,6%,p = 0.13). Our volumes of bleeding from the minimally invasive posterior approach were significantly higher than in the literature, but the mean quantity of transfused red cells and the proportion of transfused patients were both significantly lower than in the literature. Our final impression of the minimally invasive approach is positive with regard to lower blood loss, better clinical results after six months and a satisfactory alignment of the acetabular and femoral components.

Introdução: a proficiência técnica é fundamental para o treinamento cirúrgico. Em virtude da complexidade crescente das cirurgias minimamente invasivas (CMI), o treinamento apenas em campo cirúrgico é insuficiente e impraticável. Os simuladores de realidade são comprovadamente uma ponte fundamental para esse aprendizado e para aplicação dessas técnicas em campo cirúrgico. Objetivo: avaliar a efetividade do simulador de realidade virtual comparado com a caixa-preta para o aprendizado dos participantes em técnicas minimamente invasivas. Métodos: foi realizada uma revisão sistemática da literatura nas bases CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, LILACS e literatura cinzenta. Os desfechos primários avaliados foram o tempo necessário para realizar uma cirurgia minimamente invasiva e o escore de desempenho ao realizar uma cirurgia minimamente invasiva. Após selecionados, os artigos foram submetidos a uma avaliação da qualidade metodológica e do risco de vieses dos estudos incluídos. Adicionalmente, foram extraídos os dados demográficos e contínuos possíveis para realização da metanálise. Os resultados encontrados foram submetidos à avaliação da qualidade da evidência. Resultados: 20 ensaios clínicos randomizados foram incluídos na análise qualitativa e 14 foram usados na metanálise. Ao todo, 350 participantes foram randomizados para os simuladores de realidade virtual (SRV) e 345, para a caixa-preta (CP). A maioria dos estudos treinou por 10 ou mais sessões cada habilidade. Somente na execução da tarefa de transferência de pinos, o treinamento com SRV foi mais eficiente que com CP (p < 0,00001; IC95%: -35,08 a - 25,01). Em análise descritiva, quanto ao escore de desempenho na realização de uma CMI, houve superioridade do grupo SRV em relação ao grupo CP. Não houve diferença estatística na metanálise quanto ao tempo para realizar uma cirurgia, tempo para execução e pontuação em escalas de desempenho de outras tarefas básicas ou avançadas. Conclusões: na pontuação em escores de desempenho ao realizar uma CMI e na execução da tarefa básica de transferência de pinos, o treinamento com SRV é melhor que o treinamento com CP. Nos demais desfechos, independentemente do nível de experiência do aluno ou do tipo de atividade treinada, as duas formas de treinamento são equivalentes / Introduction: technical proficiency is fundamental to surgical training. Due to the increasing complexity of minimally invasive surgeries (MIS), training inthe surgical field alone is insufficient and impractical. The simulator trainings are proven to be a fundamental bridge for their application in the surgical field. Objective: to evaluate the effectiveness of the virtual reality simulator compared to the black box for the learning of participants in minimally invasive techniques. Methods: a systematic review of the literature was performed on the bases CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, LILACS. The primary outcomes were time to perform a MIS and the performance score in a MIS. After being selected, the articles were submitted to an evaluation of the methodological quality and risk of bias. In addition, the possible demographic and continuous data for the meta-analysis were extracted. The results were submitted to an evaluation of the quality of the evidence. Results: 20 randomized clinical trials were included in the qualitative analysis and 14 were used in the meta-analysis. Three hundred and fifty participants were randomized to virtual reality simulators (VRS) and 345 to the black box (BB). Most of the training included 10 or more sessions for each skill. To time to complete Peg transfer task, VRS training was more efficient than BB training (p < 0.00001, 95% CI: -35.08 to -25.01). In a descriptive analysis, VRS training was better than BB training in the performance score to perform a MIS. There was no statistical difference in the meta-analysis to time to perform a surgery, time to complete basics or advanced tasks and performance score for basic or advanced tasks. Conclusions: VRS training was better than BB training to evaluate performance scores when performing a MIS and time to complete the basic task of peg transfer. In all other outcomes, regardless of the student\'s level of experience or type of activity, the two forms of training are equivalent

A pressão intracraniana (PIC) é um dos principais parâmetros neurológicos em animais e humanos. A PIC é uma função da relação entre o conteúdo da caixa craniana (parênquima cerebral, líquido cefalorraquiano e sangue) e o volume do crânio. O aumento da PIC (hipertensão intracraniana) pode acarretar graves efeitos fisiológicos ou até mesmo o óbito em pacientes que não receberem rapidamente os devidos cuidados, os quais incluem o monitoramento em tempo real da PIC. Todos os métodos de monitoramento da PIC atualmente utilizados são invasivos, ou seja, é necessário introduzir um sensor de pressão no sistema nervoso central, acarretando aos pacientes riscos de infecções e traumas decorrentes do método. Neste trabalho desenvolvemos um método minimamente invasivo de monitoramento da pressão intracraniana, que consiste na utilização de sensores de deformação do tipo strain gauge fixados sobre a calota craniana. Os sinais oriundos deste sensor foram amplificados, filtrados e enviados para um computador com software apropriado para análise e armazenamento dos dados. O trabalho aqui apresentado objetivou os testes &quot;in vivo&quot; do sistema, onde foi utilizada mais de uma centena de animais em diversos testes, sendo que em todos os casos os resultados foram satisfatórios, apontando a eficácia do método. / The intracranial pressure (ICP) is one of the most important neurological parameter in animals and humans. The ICP is a function of the relation between the contents of the skull (brain parenchyma, cerebrospinal fluid and blood) and the volume of the skull. The increase in ICP (intracranial hypertension) may cause serious physiological effects and death in patients that do not receive appropriate care quickly, which includes real-time monitoring of ICP. All monitoring methods currently used in ICP are invasive, ie requiring invasion of the central nervous system by a pressure sensor, causing infections and traumas risks to patients. In this work we present a new minimally invasive method to monitor the intracranial pressure. This uses strain gauge deformation sensors, externally glued on the skull. The signal from this sensor is amplified, filtered and sent to a computer with appropriate software for analysis and data storage. &quot;In vitro&quot; and &quot;in vivo&quot; experiments let to the following results: (1) Our minimally invasive system is capable of adequately monitoring the ICP. (2) The measurements are in real and online time providing excellent signal and stability. (3) Simultaneous comparison with invasive methods not only validated our results but showed increased performance. The equipment cost effective will allow the use of our system in the Public Health System, with a important social aspect of our contribution.

Objetivo: O impacto da experiência em laparoscopia nas habilidades de cirurgia robótica ainda não está claramente estabelecido. Nosso estudo tem como objetivo comparar habilidades básicas em cirurgia robótica, usando o simulador de realidade virtual dVTrainer ®, entre cirurgiões com experiência laparoscópica e residentes de cirurgia do primeiro ano. Métodos: Vinte cirurgiões com experiência em laparoscopia (grupo 1) e vinte residentes de cirurgia do primeiro ano (grupo 2) foram incluídos no estudo. Cada participante completou quatro tentativas dos exercícios Peg Board 2, Ring and Rail 1 e Suture Sponge 1 no dVTrainer ®. O desempenho foi avaliado utilizando um algoritmo de pontuação computadorizado incorporado ao simulador. As pontuações e as métricas foram comparadas entre os grupos 1 e 2, e entre a primeira tentativa e as demais Resultados: Os escores gerais para os exercícios Peg Board 2 (738,04 ± 267,83 vs 730,39 ± 225,31; p = 0,57), Ring and Rail 1 (919,03 ± 242,69 vs 965,84 ± 222,96; p = 0,13) e Suture Sponge 1 (563,62 ± 185,50 vs 560,99 ± 152,71; p = 0,67) não apresentaram diferença significativa entre os grupos 1 e 2. O grupo 1 apresentou melhores resultados na área de trabalho dos controles mestres nos exercícios Peg Board 2 e Ring and Rail 1. O grupo 2 apresentou melhores resultados na economia de movimentos nos exercícios Peg Board 2 e Ring and Rail 1 e na força excessiva dos instrumentos no exercício Ring and Rail 1. Nos dois grupos os escores gerais na terceira ou quarta tentativas foram significativamente melhores em comparação com a primeira. Conclusões: Não há diferença significativa nas habilidades básicas da cirurgia robótica entre cirurgiões com experiência laparoscópica e residentes de cirurgia sem experiência em laparoscopia. Algumas diferenças existem quando consideramos métricas específicas, mas essas diferenças não foram capazes de modificar os resultados finais. Podemos considerar que a experiência em laparoscopia pode não se constituir em requisito essencial na aprendizagem da cirurgia robótica. / Objective: The actual impact of laparoscopic experience on robotic skills is uncertain. This study aimed to compare basic robotic surgical skills using the virtual reality simulator dVTrainer ® between laparoscopically experienced surgeons and first-year surgical residents. Methods: Twenty laparoscopically experienced surgeons (group 1) and 20 first-year surgical residents (group 2) were included. Each participant completed four trials of the following tasks on the dV-Trainer®: Peg Board 2, Ring and Rail 1 and Suture Sponge 1. Performance was recorded using a computerized built-in scoring algorithm. Scores and metrics were compared between groups 1 and 2 and between the 1st and subsequent trials Results: The overall scores for Peg Board 2 (738.04 ± 267.83 vs 730.39 ± 225.31, p = 0.57), Ring and Rail 1 (919.03 ± 242.69 vs 965.84 ± 222.96, p = 0.13) and Suture Sponge 1 (563.62 ± 185.50 vs 560.99 ± 152.71, p = 0.67) did not differ significantly between groups 1 and 2. Group 1 had better results for master workspace range in Peg Board 2 and Ring and Rail 1. Group 2 had higher scores for economy of motion in Peg Board 2 and Ring and Rail 1 and for excessive instrument force in Ring and Rail 1. In both groups, the overall scores in the 3rd or 4th trials were significantly higher than those in the 1st trial. Conclusions: There is no significant difference in basic robotic surgical skills between laparoscopically experienced surgeons and laparoscopically naïve surgical residents. Some slight differences were observed in specific metrics, but these differences were not sufficient to change the final results. We may assume that laparoscopic experience should not be an essential step in the learning curve of robotic surgery.

Cirurgias minimamente invasivas tornaram-se importantes porque propiciam vários benefícios para o paciente, tais como redução do risco de infecção, menos dor, menor tempo de internação e recuperação mais rápida. Na neurocirurgia, a orientação por imagens é fundamental para a realização de uma cirurgia minimamente invasiva. Por esse motivo, os sistemas de neuronavegação tornaram-se cruciais para os neurocirurgiões. Enquanto as técnicas tradicionais para localização de craniotomia podem apresentar erros de mais de 10mm, os neuronavegadores proporcionam maior precisão, com erros menores do que 5mm. Apesar de seu papel crucial nos procedimentos neurocirúrgicos, muitos cirurgiões afirmam que a usabilidade dos neuronavegadores tem que ser melhorada. Outros mencionam que os neuronavegadores são caros e inacessíveis em hospitais com poucos recursos. Nesse contexto, alguns pesquisadores sugeriram que soluções de realidade aumentada poderiam ser uma alternativa aos neuronavegadores. Os sistemas de realidade aumentada estão surgindo na neurocirurgia, alguns deles tentando fornecer melhor usabilidade do que os sistemas atuais de neuronavegação, e outros tentando fornecer uma solução mais barata e que possa ser facilmente adotada. Neste trabalho, analisamos os avanços dos sistemas de realidade aumentadade de neuronavegação nos últimos anos. Percebeu-se que muitas soluções de realidade aumentada superam algumas das deficiências do neuronavegador tradicional, mas também trazem novos problemas. Essas abordagens de realidade aumentada podem ser caras e de difícil adoção, ou exigem muitas etapas pré-operatórias por parte do neurocirurgião, tornando-as indesejáveis para uso em casos reais. Para resolver esses problemas, apresentamos um aplicativo para dispositivos móveis, chamado ARNeuro, que auxilia na localização da craniotomia. O ARNeuro é mais acessível e mais fácil de usar do que a maioria das abordagens de realidade aumentada. Além disso, o ARNeuro é um aplicativo independente, o que significa que não é necessário nenhum hardware ou software adicional, além do que já está disponível nos hospitais. Nossa solução utiliza Odometria Inercial Visual, através de um framework de realidade aumentada, para indicar o centro da região da incisão, sobreposta na cabeça do paciente, mostrada na tela do dispositivo. Nossos experimentos iniciais indicam que o ARNeuro é uma ferramenta promissora. A versão atual do aplicativo tem um erro médio geral menor do que 3,1mm. Apesar disso, o sistema ainda tem muitas limitações e sua acurácia pode ser melhorada. / Minimally invasive surgeries have become important because they bring many benefits to the patient, such as reduced risk of infection, less pain, shorter hospital stays, and faster recoveries. In neurosurgery, imageguidance is fundamental to perform a minimally invasive surgery. For this reason, neuronavigation systems became crucial for neurosurgeons. While traditional techniques for craniotomy localization may have a target registration error of more than 10mm, neuronavigators provide higher accuracy, with errors of less than 5mm. In spite of their crucial role in neurosurgical procedures, many surgeons claim that neuronavigators usability has to be improved. Others mention that neuronavigators are expensive and not accessible in hospitals with few resources. In this context, some researchers suggested that augmented reality solutions could be an alternative to neuronavigators. Augmented reality systems are emerging in neurosurgery, some of them trying to provide better usability than current neuronavigation systems, and others trying to provide an affordable solution that could be easily adopted. In this work, we analyze the advances of augmented reality neuronavigation systems in the last years. It was noticed that many augmented reality solutions do overcome some of the traditional neuronavigator shortcomings, but they also bring new problems. These augmented reality approaches may be expensive and hard to adopt, or require many preoperative steps from the neurosurgeon, making them undesirable for using in real cases. To address these issues, we present a mobile application, called ARNeuro, that assists in craniotomy localization. ARNeuro is more affordable and easier to use than most augmented reality approaches. Also, ARNeuro is a standalone application, which means that no additional hardware or software is required, besides what is already available at the hospitals. ARNeuro makes use of Visual Inertial Odometry, provided by an augmented reality framework, to draw the center of the incision region, superimposed on the patient’s head, shown on the device screen. Our initial experiments indicate that ARNeuro is a promising tool. The current version of the application has an overall mean target registration error of less than 3.1mm. In spite of that, the system still have many limitations, and its accuracy can be improved. / São Cristóvão, SE

Dental caries is the main reason for placement and replacement of restorations (Keene, 1981). More than 60 percent of dentists' restorative time is spent replacing existing restorations. The replacement of restorations can result in a cavity preparation larger than its predecessor which leads to weakening of the remaining tooth structure (Mjör, 1993). Considering the traditional surgical dental caries management philosophy, it was based on "extension for prevention" and restorative material needs rather than on preserving the healthy tooth structure (Black, 1908). In the 1970s, the surgical dental paradigm began shifting to a new approach for caries management: Minimally Invasive Dentistry (MID). It was based on the medical model that prioritizes caries risk assessment, early caries detection, remineralization of tooth structure, and especially preservation of tooth structure through minimal intervention in the placement and replacement of restorations (Yamaga et al, 1972). The minimal intervention paradigm emphasizes use of adhesive restorative materials in order to minimize the size of cavity preparation (Murdoch-Kinch & McLean, 2003). Hence, a cross-sectional study using an online survey instrument (30-item) was conducted among National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) and American Association Community Dental Programs (AACDP) members. Besides demographics, the survey addressed the following items using a 5-point Likert scale: knowledge, attitudes and behavior concerning MID among general practitioners. Specific questions focused on practitioner and practice characteristics, previous training and knowledge of MID, knowledge use of restorative, diagnostic and preventive techniques and whether MID was considered to meet the standard of care in the U.S., which was the main outcome of the study. Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, and two-Sample t-test were used to identify factors associated with beliefs that MID meets the standard of care. Overall, 86% believed MID met the standard of care for primary teeth, and 77% believed this for permanent teeth. The study found that those with more favorable opinions of fluoride to be more likely to believe MID met the standard of care, but no demographic or practice characteristics were associated MID standard of care beliefs.

The present work describes the preparation of hyaluronan derivatives and hydrogels with potential use in tissue engineering applications. A potentially injectable hydrogel consisting of hyaluronan and collagen was successfully used to grow neurons in vitro by encapsulation of neural stem and progenitor cells. Attempts were further made to establish a suitable modification strategy which could be used for the preparation of in vivo cross-linkable hyaluronan derivatives. The synthesis of a model substance consisting of a D-glucuronate derivative which could simplify the development of such a modification technique is described, although a new method to prepare hyaluronan derivatives was found without its use. The modification strategy involves the use of a triazine-reagent which enables the covalent attachment of hydrophilic and hydrophobic amines to hyaluronan carboxyl groups in a controlled fashion under mild conditions. Using triazine-activated amidation we synthesized an aldehyde-derivative of hyaluronan which was used to prepare gels by cross-linking with hydrazide-modified polyvinyl-alcohol. Gels were formed in less than 1 minute by mixing equal volumes of the polymer derivatives and they were subsequently used as a carrier for bone morphogenetic protein-2. An in vitro release study showed that approximately 88% of the growth factor is retained in the gel over a 4 week period. The ability to form new bone in vivo was further evaluated in an ectopic rat model by the injection of gels containing 30 µg BMP-2. Radiographic and histological examination 4 and 10 weeks after injection showed the formation of new bone without any signs of inflammation or foreign body response. Hydroxyapatite particles were further added to improve the mechanical properties of the gel, and a comparative study was conducted. This time the induced tissue consisted not only of bone, but also of interconnected cartilage and tendon, as confirmed by histology and immunohistochemistry.

Thèse doctorat : Automatique Industrielle : Villeurbanne, INSA : 2005. / Thèse rédigée en anglais. Résumé étendu en français. Titre provenant de l'écran-titre. Bibliogr. p. 155-167.

Objetivo: O impacto da experiência em laparoscopia nas habilidades de cirurgia robótica ainda não está claramente estabelecido. Nosso estudo tem como objetivo comparar habilidades básicas em cirurgia robótica, usando o simulador de realidade virtual dVTrainer ®, entre cirurgiões com experiência laparoscópica e residentes de cirurgia do primeiro ano. Métodos: Vinte cirurgiões com experiência em laparoscopia (grupo 1) e vinte residentes de cirurgia do primeiro ano (grupo 2) foram incluídos no estudo. Cada participante completou quatro tentativas dos exercícios Peg Board 2, Ring and Rail 1 e Suture Sponge 1 no dVTrainer ®. O desempenho foi avaliado utilizando um algoritmo de pontuação computadorizado incorporado ao simulador. As pontuações e as métricas foram comparadas entre os grupos 1 e 2, e entre a primeira tentativa e as demais Resultados: Os escores gerais para os exercícios Peg Board 2 (738,04 ± 267,83 vs 730,39 ± 225,31; p = 0,57), Ring and Rail 1 (919,03 ± 242,69 vs 965,84 ± 222,96; p = 0,13) e Suture Sponge 1 (563,62 ± 185,50 vs 560,99 ± 152,71; p = 0,67) não apresentaram diferença significativa entre os grupos 1 e 2. O grupo 1 apresentou melhores resultados na área de trabalho dos controles mestres nos exercícios Peg Board 2 e Ring and Rail 1. O grupo 2 apresentou melhores resultados na economia de movimentos nos exercícios Peg Board 2 e Ring and Rail 1 e na força excessiva dos instrumentos no exercício Ring and Rail 1. Nos dois grupos os escores gerais na terceira ou quarta tentativas foram significativamente melhores em comparação com a primeira. Conclusões: Não há diferença significativa nas habilidades básicas da cirurgia robótica entre cirurgiões com experiência laparoscópica e residentes de cirurgia sem experiência em laparoscopia. Algumas diferenças existem quando consideramos métricas específicas, mas essas diferenças não foram capazes de modificar os resultados finais. Podemos considerar que a experiência em laparoscopia pode não se constituir em requisito essencial na aprendizagem da cirurgia robótica. / Objective: The actual impact of laparoscopic experience on robotic skills is uncertain. This study aimed to compare basic robotic surgical skills using the virtual reality simulator dVTrainer ® between laparoscopically experienced surgeons and first-year surgical residents. Methods: Twenty laparoscopically experienced surgeons (group 1) and 20 first-year surgical residents (group 2) were included. Each participant completed four trials of the following tasks on the dV-Trainer®: Peg Board 2, Ring and Rail 1 and Suture Sponge 1. Performance was recorded using a computerized built-in scoring algorithm. Scores and metrics were compared between groups 1 and 2 and between the 1st and subsequent trials Results: The overall scores for Peg Board 2 (738.04 ± 267.83 vs 730.39 ± 225.31, p = 0.57), Ring and Rail 1 (919.03 ± 242.69 vs 965.84 ± 222.96, p = 0.13) and Suture Sponge 1 (563.62 ± 185.50 vs 560.99 ± 152.71, p = 0.67) did not differ significantly between groups 1 and 2. Group 1 had better results for master workspace range in Peg Board 2 and Ring and Rail 1. Group 2 had higher scores for economy of motion in Peg Board 2 and Ring and Rail 1 and for excessive instrument force in Ring and Rail 1. In both groups, the overall scores in the 3rd or 4th trials were significantly higher than those in the 1st trial. Conclusions: There is no significant difference in basic robotic surgical skills between laparoscopically experienced surgeons and laparoscopically naïve surgical residents. Some slight differences were observed in specific metrics, but these differences were not sufficient to change the final results. We may assume that laparoscopic experience should not be an essential step in the learning curve of robotic surgery.

The overall development of scientific and technical disciplines has enabled the introduction of minimally invasive surgical techniques in cardiac surgery practice. Implementation of minimally invasive cardiac surgery brings many positive effects for patients and healthcare. At the same time, however, it requires for the nurses to have appropriate knowledge, skills and experience to effectively provide comprehensive nursing care. The thesis is divided into theoretical and empirical parts. A total of four objectives were set. The first goal determines the specifics of nursing care of the patient before and after minimally invasive cardiac surgery. The second mapping the differences in nursing care in minimally invasive cardiac surgery from heart surgery classical approach. The third objective determines the role of nurses in patient awareness of minimally-invasive cardiac surgery. The fourth objective is focused on the needs and feelings of patients undergoing minimally invasive cardiac surgery. The results of qualitative research showed that preoperative and postoperative nursing care for minimally invasive cardiac surgery is similar to nursing care before and after cardiac surgery by standard median sternotomy approach. Nurses often wipe away differences associated with nursing care of standard and minimally invasive surgery, differences arose mainly after analysis of the data obtained. The differences include shorter hospital stay, shorter duration of mechanical ventilation, lower incidence of postoperative confusion, differences in invasive inputs, rehabilitation and awareness. For the majority of respondents from the ranks of the patients minimally invasive heart surgery technique had clearly positive impact on their mental condition.