[The Trend of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery:Where Robot-assisted Cardiac Surgery in Japan is Now].

The trend in cardiac surgery is moving toward minimally invasive procedures worldwide. In Japan, robot-assisted cardiac surgery has started simultaneously with the insurance coverage of minimally invasive cardiac surgery in April 2018. Technology innovations such as the miniaturization of the robot arm, the development of various type of instruments have improved operability and has contributed to the spread of robot-assisted cardiac surgery. On the other hand, there are several issues that may be barriers to its widespread use. The number of facilities for robot-assisted cardiac surgery has not increased as expected probably due to the current insurance system, that is still being developed, the requirement for implementation, and the cost. The current status and issues of robot-assisted cardiac surgery in Japan will be discussed.