This week on The Beat, CTSNet Editor-in-Chief Joel Dunning spoke with Dr. Aamir Amin, a cardiothoracic surgery resident at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, UK, about humanoid robots and artificial intelligence (AI) in surgery. Dr. Amin shares his insights from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA) executive program on AI in healthcare,…
This week on The Beat, CTSNet Editor-in-Chief Joel Dunning spoke with Dr. Ahmed Ghazy, Head of Minimally Invasive Surgery at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany, about robotic cardiac surgery adoption and training. Dr. Ghazy shares his experience working with Dr. M. M. Yusuf, a cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon at Apollo Hospitals in Chennai, India.…
CTSNet Editor-in-Chief Joel Dunning speaks with Drs. Michael Mack and Tom Nguyen about the proposed US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services changes to how cardiologists and cardiac surgeons interact during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures. Dr. Mack explained the current heart team system, established in 2011 through collaboration with the US Food and…
This week on The Beat, CTSNet Editor-in-Chief Joel Dunning speaks with Drs. Michael Mack and Tom Nguyen about the proposed US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services changes to how cardiologists and cardiac surgeons interact during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures. Dr. Mack explained the current heart team system, established in 2011 through collaboration…
This session features leading surgeons and cardiologists discussing various aspects of assessing and planning mitral valve interventions at the Transcatheter Heart Valves Greece (THVGreece) 2026 conference. Moderators Lampros K. Michalis, Professor of Cardiology, University of Ioannina, Director, 2nd Cardiology Department, University General Hospital of Ioannina, Greece; and Konstantinos Perreas, Cardiac Surgery, Director, 1st Dept of Cardiac…
This study examines the relationship between public interest in cardiothoracic surgical conditions and corresponding research output during a 21-year period (2004–2024). Public interest was assessed using Google Trends data and correlated with PubMed-indexed publications across 26 cardiothoracic conditions. The analysis demonstrated increased public interest in pacemaker implantation, bronchiectasis, esophageal achalasia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, trauma-related conditions, and extracorporeal membrane…
In this session, cardiothoracic surgery experts gathered to discuss AFib ablation, AF surgery strategies, and the importance of ERAS protocols. These presentations were recorded during the Ancona Minimally Invasive and Trans-Catheter Cardiac Surgery Course on May 29, 2026. Presentations: AF Ablation, LAAM, and ERAS, Part 1 Surgical Training and Strategies for Atrial Functional MR (AFMR),…
This session features the presidential address delivered by Dr. Gry Dahle at the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery Annual Scientific Meeting 2026. As the society’s first female president, Dr. Dahle—who holds positions at the Emergency Department of Akerhus University Hospital in Nordbyhagen and the Lørenskog Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Oslo University Hospital,…
This week on The Beat, CTSNet Editor-in-Chief Joel Dunning spoke with Dr. Chris Malaisrie, a Professor of Surgery in the Division of Cardiac Surgery at Northwestern University and an Attending Cardiac Surgeon at Northwestern Medicine, about valve-sparing aortic root replacement techniques. The conversation covers a wide range of procedures, including the Bentall, Yacoub, and David…
This video demonstrates a robotic-assisted resection of the left fifth rib for oligometastatic melanoma involving the chest wall. An 83-year-old man with a history of cutaneous melanoma presented with progressive left posterior chest wall pain that required escalating analgesia. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) demonstrated two areas of lytic disease involving the left fifth rib, with…
This clinical video demonstrates the preservation of a replaced left hepatic artery during the creation of a gastric conduit in a robotic-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) for post-neoadjuvant esophageal adenocarcinoma. The patient was a 61-year-old male with cT3N0M0 (Stage IIA) lower-esophageal adenocarcinoma. He completed neoadjuvant therapy with four cycles of fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel.…
This interview centers around improving and evaluating surgical programs. At the 2026 American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Annual Meeting, CTSNet Senior Editor—Congenital, Dr. Sameh Said, Chief of the Division of Pediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiac Surgery at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, NY, USA, engaged in a scholarly discussion with Dr. Christopher Caldarone,…
This week on The Beat, CTSNet Editor-in-Chief Joel Dunning discusses the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed decision memo regarding the national coverage analysis for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). He outlines crucial deadlines, actionable steps for surgeons, the importance of submitting public comments, and the necessity of data collection. Additionally, he spoke with…
This session features leading surgeons discussing various aspects of the aortic valve at the Transcatheter Heart Valves Greece (THVGreece) 2026 conference. Please note that all presentations are delivered in Greek. The first presentation, “Failed TAVI Referred for SAVR” was delivered by Dr. Apostolos Roubelakis, Director of the 3rd Department of Cardiac Surgery at the Athens…
A 35-year-old woman, who had undergone an aortic valve replacement (AVR) with a 19 mm mechanical prosthesis nine years prior presented with exertional fatigue and shortness of breath despite a well-functioning mechanical prosthesis. Her body mass index (BMI) was 36.2, and she had a significant left ventricular outflow tract gradient that was attributed to patient-prosthesis…
This video demonstrates a redo operation in a patient in their 60s who had a previous biological aortic valve replacement and required an aortic root replacement with the Konect valved conduit. The patient had undergone a biological aortic valve replacement 10 years prior, which now exhibited a severely stenotic gradient across it. Additionally, the aortic…
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