Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Program

What if we could repair the heart without opening the chest? What if patients could heal faster, with less pain and fewer risks? With donor support, this future starts now at the QEII Health Sciences Centre.

WHY YOU’RE NEEDED

The QEII is the heartbeat of cardiac care in the Maritimes — home to the region’s most specialized heart health services, advanced cardiac imaging, and surgical expertise. Thousands of patients from Nova Scotia and beyond receive cardiac care at the QEII each year when every second counts.

Today, the QEII’s cardiac surgery team is ready to launch a minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) program — beginning with mitral valve repair procedures. With a $450,000 fundraising goal for critical equipment, this innovative approach will transform outcomes for patients and introduce a new era of surgical care in our province.

THE PROJECT

The mitral valve is critical to heart function. When it fails, patients can experience extreme fatigue, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath — even heart failure. Repairing the valve restores quality of life, but today, the standard approach at the QEII is open-heart surgery, requiring the chest to be opened and the breastbone cut.

MICS changes this entirely. Instead of opening the chest, surgeons reach the heart through small incisions at the front of the chest. MICS is not available anywhere else in Nova Scotia. Patients here must either undergo open-heart surgery or travel out of province.

To launch the program, QEII’s surgical teams require three specialized sets of minimally invasive instruments — including scopes, surgical tools and equipment. With the support of donors, the QEII will be able to treat up to two mitral valve patients each week in the program’s first phase.

The QEII has already recruited an internationally recognized cardiac surgeon, trained in Europe through a dedicated minimally invasive fellowship, to lead this program. With his expertise — and donor generosity — the QEII will become one of the only centres in the region offering this advanced technique.

Doctors within the Stewart E. Allen Hybrid Operating Room

Pictured: Team members within the donor-funded Stewart E. Allen Hybrid Operating Room

Your gift today will help make minimally invasive cardiac surgery a reality for QEII patients and their families. Will you join us and change lives?

DONATE NOW >

What donors will make possible

With the support of generous donors through our We Are campaign, launching the MICS program at the QEII will:

Provide a minimally invasive alternative to open-heart surgery for mitral valve repair — with less pain, fewer risks, and a fraction of the recovery time.

Reduce hospital stays to just 3–5 days on average, compared to 7–10 days with traditional open-heart surgery.

Help patients return to normal life in as little as 2–3 weeks, instead of 8–12 weeks.

Minimize scarring and improve patient comfort with a smaller 5–7 cm incision , rather than opening the breastbone with a 20–25 cm cut.

Increase future surgical capacity and help meet growing demand for heart valve procedures.

Set a new standard of care in Nova Scotia for mitral valve repair, laying the groundwork to expand MICS to other complex cardiac surgeries — and serving as the first step toward bringing robotic cardiac surgery to our province.

Attract and retain top talent, keeping our province competitive in advanced cardiac care.

Directly impact up to two patients per week, providing access to this lifesaving procedure in the program’s first phase.