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 interview focuses on intraoperative molecular imaging. At the 2026 American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Annual Meeting CTSNet Editor-in-Chief Joel Dunning spoke with Dr. Robert Meguid, Professor of Surgery at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA, about this topic. They explore how this technology identifies small nodules, the functionality and use cases…
This session features leading surgeons presenting on advanced techniques—including robotic implantation, carinal resection, and aortic valve replacement (AVR)—at the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery Annual Scientific Meeting 2026. To begin, Dr. Danny Ramzy, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and Medical and Surgical Director for the Heart & Vascular Institute…
Redo tricuspid valve surgery after previous cardiac operations remains technically challenging and is associated with increased operative risk, particularly in elderly patients with extensive vascular calcifications and prior device-related complications. Minimally invasive and endoscopic approaches may reduce surgical trauma while maintaining procedural safety and effectiveness. Case Presentation This case demonstrates a 78-year-old male with previous…
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…
Cleveland and colleagues present a translational study evaluating porcine cardiac xenotransplantation as a potential bridge to allotransplantation in infants with congenital heart disease. A total of 15 baboons underwent implantation of gene-edited porcine cardiac xenografts. The mean donor age and weight were 8.9 weeks and 8.3 kg, respectively, while the mean recipient age and weight were 20.5 months and…
This study examined the incidence, temporal trends, and long-term outcomes of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) in a contemporary cohort of 19,316 patients undergoing cardiac surgery. POAF occurred in 32.8 percent of patients, with the highest rates observed after combined procedures, although the incidence declined significantly over the study period. After adjustment for baseline and procedural factors, POAF was associated with reduced long-term survival,…
This case reported by Bartoli and colleagues describes the remarkable recovery of a child who survived prolonged submersion in ice-cold water, enduring more than 2.5 hours of deep hypothermic, asystolic circulatory arrest. An 8-year-old, 26-kg boy playing outdoors during the winter in Pennsylvania and was subsequently found submerged beneath broken pond ice. The total estimated…
In this session, cardiothoracic surgery experts gathered to discuss transaxillary valve surgery, options to avoid patients-prosthesis mismatch, aortic valve replacement (AVR), and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). These presentations were recorded during the aortic valve session of the Ancona Minimally Invasive and Trans-Catheter Cardiac Surgery Course on May 28, 2026. Introduction Transaxillary Valve Surgery: Innovation…
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…
The clinical case presented in this video concerns a 67-year-old female patient who came to the authors’ attention in 2021 after undergoing a computed tomography (CT) scan that revealed the incidental finding of a 16 mm ground-glass opacity (GGO) located in the left lower lobe. As the lesion was well localized and adequate surgical margins…
Surgery of the aortic arch has advanced significantly in recent years. The gold standard technique for treating arch aneurysms remains moderate to deep hypothermia with circulatory arrest of the lower body, coupled with cerebral protection. Recently, some authors have developed various techniques for normothermic arch surgery without cardiopulmonary arrest (1, 2). Here, the authors present…
This is a case presentation of an 18-month-old female who presented to the emergency department with altered mental status. In the emergency room, the patient’s electrocardiogram (EKG) raised concerns for biventricular hypertrophy. A transthoracic echocardiogram indicated that her right coronary artery originated from the main pulmonary artery (ARCAPA) and measured approximately 1.8 to 2.2 mm,…
This week on The Beat, CTSNet Editor-in-Chief Joel Dunning discusses the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) heart team potentially losing a member. He explores the current composition of the TAVR heart team, proposed changes, the thoughts of cardiothoracic societies, and future actions regarding this issue. Additionally, he spoke with Dr. Thoralf Sundt, Chief of the…
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