This talk features Tomas Holubec, Professor of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at University Hospital Frankfurt and Goethe-University in Germany, delivering a presentation titled “A Surgeon’s Journey: Direct-Vision, Endoscopic-Assisted, Endoscopic, and 3D Endoscopic,” at the Endoscopic Cardiac Surgeons Club Meeting 2025.
In his presentation, he discussed the benefits of direct-vision minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS), noting that it is less demanding for the surgical team, and highlighted a transition toward more totally endoscopic (TE) MICS. This shift is driven by the influence of pioneers, the development of new tools and devices, better visualization, and increased patient satisfaction.
He further examined the advantages and disadvantages of TE-MICS, reviewed various studies, and outlined important points to safely perform TE-MICS. Additionally, he covered training, proctoring, and mentoring, and provided a comparison of MICS mitral valve surgery direct vision vs TE at University Hospital Frankfurt.
The Endoscopic Cardiac Surgeons Club is dedicated to raising global awareness of the benefits of endoscopic cardiac surgery among patients, surgeons, and industry partners. Additional ECSC videos will be available in the coming weeks.
Disclosure
Dr. Holubec is a consultant and proctor who declares receiving consultancy fees and honoraria from Abbott, USA; Artivion, USA; Edwards Lifesciences, USA; Getinge, Sweden; and Smartcanula LLC, Switzerland.
Disclaimer
The information and views presented on CTSNet.org represent the views of the authors and contributors of the material and not of CTSNet. Please review our full disclaimer page here.
