The peripheral cannulation technique in minimally invasive congenital cardiac surgery.

Congenital minimally invasive cardiac surgery has gained wide acceptance thanks to its favorable outcomes. The introduction of peripheral cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass further reduces surgical trauma by decreasing surgical access and allowing the spectrum of surgical access for the correction of simple congenital heart defects to be widened. Right internal jugular vein percutaneous cannulation, together with the direct surgical cannulation of femoral vessels, proves to be a safe and effective tool in patients with body weight above 15 kg.