It is time to reconsider the management of Aortic valve Disease (AVD) across the world. In South Asian and Sub-Saharan African nations, in low-income countries, AVD is treated with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Patients receive mechanical valves. The population is younger than in high-income countries and the disease is different, mostly of rheumatic origin.
The first session of the South Asia webinar series delves into valve repair strategies for rheumatic mitral valve disease. Expert panelists will provide an overview of the current state of rheumatic heart disease in South Asia’s developing countries, along with best practices for case selection tailored to early career surgeons. The webinar will also feature discussions on proven repair techniques for managing rheumatic mitral stenosis and regurgitation.
Moderators
Vinod H. Thourani, MD
Piedmont Heart Institute
Atlanta, GA
More than 100 cardiothoracic surgeons, fellows, residents, and advanced practice providers participated in the 2024 STS Mastering Valve Surgery Workshop in Chicago on Sept 20-21. The two-day event included lectures, case-based presentations, and breakout sessions focused on mastering modern-day valve surgery, including open and transcatheter procedures for aortic, mitral, and tricuspid valves.
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Attendees participate in a hands-on aortic valve surgery session.
"This workshop stands out for its unique blend of theoretical instruction and practical hands-on training, covering both surgical and transcatheter techniques for all valve types," said co-course director Tsuyoshi Kaneko, MD, of Washington University in St. Louis. "The active participation and insightful questions from both domestic and international attendees highlighted the course's relevance and impact."
Attendees honed their skills through small-group, hands-on experiences in wet lab settings to learn the latest in advanced valve techniques (aortic root enlargement, Ross Procedure, minimally invasive valve surgery), transcatheter therapies, and atrial fibrillation.
"I'm pleased that the valve surgery courses encompassed both traditional surgical techniques and emerging transcatheter procedures," said co-course director Katherine Harrington, MD, of Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas. “To remain at the forefront of the latest technologies in the field, we must continually update our knowledge and ensure our outcomes are exceptional, fostering collaboration with structural heart experts."
Here's what a few attendees said about the Valve Surgery Workshop:
"I enjoyed the panel discussions at the end of each session and found the small-group wet labs extremely helpful.” — Alex Wang, physician assistant, Johns Hopkins Health System
"The best sessions were aortic root enlargement by Dr. Yang, mitral valve surgery by Dr. Badhwar, and TAVR explant by Dr. Kaneko."
"Overall, it was a valuable experience to interact with experts and directly view the pig heart. The catheter-based procedure simulators were also helpful for learning."
"Great courses and discussion topics, exemplary faculty, and I enjoyed the hands-on sessions."
"Moving forward, I will adopt the aortic root enlargement technique as explained by Dr. Yang, the mitral valve replacement technique of Dr. Badhwar, and the Ross Procedure technique detailed by Dr. El-Hamamsy. I also intend to incorporate the maze and atrial clip procedures more frequently into my practice."
With the emerging evidence, the use of SAVR in the era of TAVR expansion has been heavily debated. This webinar focuses on the latest science showing the benefit of SAVR over TAVR and will cover several key scenarios that could benefit from SAVR.
Moderators
George Arnaoutakis, MD
University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School
Austin, TX
Puja Kachroo, MD
Washington University Physicians
St. Louis, MO
Panelists
Tsuyoshi Kaneko, MD
Washington University Physicians
St. Louis, MO
A Tech News article authored by Khalil Khalil, MD, Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and Jessica Forcillo, MD, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec.
This 8 in 8 session focuses on fast-tracking in CABG patients. The presentation examines incorporating elements of ERAS and other fast track principles, data regarding the safety and efficacy of fast tracking, and a real-world patient case.
Speaker
Alison F. Ward, MD, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
On June 7-8, 2024, in Miami, more than 120 cardiothoracic surgeons and heart team members from around the world gathered for the third annual STS Coronary Conference. With a focus on the technical aspects of coronary surgery, attendees experienced case-based panel discussions, abstract sessions, practical tips and tricks, and interactive “How I Do It” video presentations featuring surgical techniques.
The two-day 2024 STS Coronary Conference brought together coronary surgery experts from throughout the world.
The two-day event covered a wide range of topics, including conduit selection and harvest, graft configuration, off- and on-pump CABG, and a stepwise approach to minimally invasive coronary surgery, from MIDCAB to advanced multivessel revascularization.
"Coronary surgery is a sub-specialty within cardiac surgery, so it’s important for future surgeons to be skilled in off-pump surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and traditional on-pump cross clamp surgical techniques,” said Chase Brown, MD, assistant professor of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, and a course presenter. “Attendees were able to learn from experts leading the way in the field.”
"The most exciting things I learned about were the technical aspects of coronary sequential grafting," said cardiac surgery resident Dr. Kevin An from the University of Toronto. “It’s an area I’m interested in implementing into my practice.”
Here's what a few other attendees said about the Coronary Conference:
"I enjoyed the panel discussions at the end of each session – I learned as much from them as I did from each of the presentations."
"So many great presentations. I think the 'How to Prevent AKI After CABG' presentation by Dr. Daniel Engleman may have been my favorite."
"After attending the sessions, we will add certain changes in the steps for endoscopic harvesting of the saphenous vein, as well as measures to reduce and prevent sternal wound complications."
"In the future, I would like to see more perioperative content and learn how to implant an Impella 5.5."
"I really enjoyed the conference. It was worth coming to the US from Brazil to take the course."
"As a result of attending the conference, I would tend to perform MAG-TAG more often to more patients, use the skeletonization technique to decrease sternal wound infections, and practice the Y-T graft."
The STS Workshop on Robotic Cardiac Surgery held May 9-10 in Peachtree Corners, Ga., offered 80 surgeons from across the country two days of hands-on team training for mitral valve repair, coronary bypass, and other surgery procedures in a cardiac robotics simulation environment.
Workshop attendees gained insight into building a robotics program, as well as improving the effectiveness of their program.
Here are the top five benefits that surgeon attendees received from the experience:
1. Innovation: Attendees trained in robotic mitral valve procedures and robotic coronary revascularization using the latest techniques and technology. Multiple operating bays fitted with surgical robots allowed participants to sit at the console to control the robots.
2. Training: The program offered a variety of educational activities for surgeons, including real-world simulations, case videos, faculty discussions, emphasized patient selection, perioperative management and postoperative care, and operative techniques.
3. Collaboration: The workshop was designed for both beginner robotic surgical teams who are looking for fundamental information and guidance on how to build a program, as well as advanced robotic surgical teams already practicing cardiac surgery robotics and are looking to continually improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their program.
4. Access to luminary experts in the field: The workshop was led by world-renowned robotic heart surgeons. The surgeons who served as faculty not only mastered the use of robotics in cardiac surgery, but they also helped define it.
5. Networking: Robotic Cardiac Surgery Workshop attendees connected with surgeons from across the country who are on the cutting edge of robotic cardiac surgery.
Feedback on the conference was overwhelmingly positive. Here are a few highlights:
"The best presentation was the one on preoperative criteria and assessment for robotic mitral valve patients."
"The session content was helpful for those thinking about starting a robotic mitral valve program."
"The presentations given by early-stage faculty on difficult cases where they had to convert to open were very helpful."
"Dr. Joanna Chikwe's session on complications of mitral valve repairs was wonderful. I loved this presentation."
"The most valuable sessions were those that offered peer-to-peer interaction with the experienced surgeons, including the hands-on lab."
"I think the courses being part lecture and part hands-on gave the background and data to support what we are doing in the lab. Even more hands-on time would be great, as well."
In this 8x8 video (presented in Spanish), Dr. Juan Crestanello, chief of cardiac surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, discusses annular disjunction of the mitral valve, its medical and surgical implications, and also the operative techniques used to deal with this anatomical feature.
STS is pleased to announce the release of the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database Executive Dashboard Report, now available on the Database platform. The Executive Dashboard includes the following components:
The participant’s star ratings for the last six star-rating periods, allowing you to easily track your site’s risk-adjusted performance longitudinally.
Resource utilization metrics for isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures, which provide participants near real-time data vs. STS benchmark data from the previous analysis period, including:
ICU times
Postoperative total ventilation hours
Postoperative length of stay
Total blood project usage (intraoperative/postoperative)
Participant’s performance on meeting inclusion eligibility criteria. Utilizing green, yellow, and red statuses and convenient drill-down functionality, participants can easily identify cases of concern and save valuable time. And case counts are available to allow users to verify if their site meets case count requirements for analysis. Updates to this report are ongoing to provide real-time data. Refer to the Notifications tab on the IQVIA Platform for updates.
Additional procedure types for resource utilization metrics were released on April 13, 2024. More utilization metrics are being considered. If you have a suggestion, contact Carole Krohn at ckrohn@sts.org.
Increase your company’s opportunity for personalized interactivity with attendees by exhibiting at the Workshop. Several breaks will take place in the exhibit area and have been scheduled so that attendees have plenty of time to visit your booth. The intimate size of the exhibition will help ensure that you have quality access to meeting attendees.
Exhibitors also are eligible to purchase symposia, email blast communications, and/or to support the meeting with an educational grant.
