A first-of-its-kind procedure in Poland – a simultaneous replacement of the aortic valve and a segment of the ascending aorta – has been performed at the Department of Cardiac Surgery of the University Clinical Centre in Gdańsk. This operation was carried out using a minimally invasive method – through a small incision under the armpit. This is a procedure performed in only a few centres around the world, emphasises Maciej Brzeziński, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc., Head of the Department of Cardiac Surgery.