This interview centers around robotic cardiac surgery. At the 2026 American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Annual Meeting, CTSNet JANS Editor Dr. Mujtaba Mubashir, a cardiothoracic fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA, engaged in an insightful discussion with Dr. Ali Hage, a cardiac surgeon at NYU Langone Health, NY, USA, to…
This case involved a 74-year-old woman who complained of dyspnea on exertion for the past three weeks. She also reported dysphagia for solids without experiencing weight loss. The patient had a history of hypertension and dyslipidemia, and a previous occurrence of deep vein thrombosis. During a cardiac evaluation, a transthoracic ultrasound revealed a large mass…
This interview highlights the Salam Centre for Cardiac Surgery, situated on the outskirts of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. The Salam Centre was opened in 2007 by the Italian Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) EMERGENCY International, the center is named “Salam,” which means “peace’” in Arabic. It has conducted more than 8,000 rheumatic valvular surgeries alone and has provided free…
This interview focuses on tracking burnout and recovery in surgical trainees. At the 2026 American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Annual Meeting, CTSNet JANS Editor Ali Mashadi, a medical student at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland—Bahrain, spoke with Dr. Lauren Barron, a cardiothoracic surgery Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas…
The mission to Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, begins with the inspiring story of Dr. Danny Kapend, an African doctor determined to transform the healthcare landscape for the people of Lubumbashi. As a cardiac surgeon, Dr. Kapend dreams of establishing cardiovascular surgery in the region. In 2023, Dr. Kapend met Dr. Marcio Rufino, a…
Esophageal leiomyoma is the most common benign tumor of the esophagus. Surgical enucleation is indicated for symptomatic or large lesions and is typically performed via a right-sided approach. Case Presentation A 42-year-old, non-smoking, otherwise healthy male presented with abdominal discomfort. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan was performed and demonstrated no intra-abdominal pathology; however, a…
This week on The Beat, CTSNet Editor-in-Chief Joel Dunning spoke with Dr. Isaac George, CTSNet Board Member and Co-Director of the Structural Heart and Valve Center, Surgical Director of Structural Heart Disease, and Co-Director of the Mitral and Tricuspid Center at Columbia University Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian, NY, USA, about the lifetime management of aortic valve disease.…
In this top-notch interview, Cristina Ruiz Segria, CTSNet Senior Editor—Clinical Care Providers and nurse practitioner at James Cook University Hospital, UK, speaks with Professor Julie Sanders, Professor of Cardiovascular Care at King’s College London, UK, about cardiovascular disease research priorities in women. They discuss the project Beating Bias, focusing on its objectives, funding and collaboration,…
In this episode of The Atrium, host Dr. Alice Copperwheat speaks with Dr. Husam Balkhy, Professor of Surgery and Director of Robotic and Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery at the University of Chicago, IL, USA, about multi-spectrum robotic cardiac surgery. The discussion focuses on the history of robotics in cardiac surgery, emphasizing the benefits and challenges…
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