Date(s)
May 14–15, 2026
Location
Norcross, GA
Area of Practice
Adult Cardiac
Audience
Surgeon
Hear didactic lectures and case demonstrations from expert faculty, then practice in a realistic, cardiac robotic simulation environment.

As of March 19, the workshop is at capacity. Further applications are not being accepted. 

Gain extensive hands-on procedural experience in robotic mitral valve procedures and robotic coronary revascularization in a realistic simulation environment. A state-of-the-art training facility fitted with surgical robots allows a true hands-on experience for every attendee. Expert surgeons with extensive experience in robotic surgery will offer guidance during hands-on procedures and deliver complementary didactic lectures.  

The course is designed for new teams interested in starting a robotic cardiac surgery program or early experienced robotic surgeons and teams, including bedside first assistants and nurses. The course consists of one day of hands-on simulation and one day of didactic lectures, case videos, and discussion. 

Continuing medical education is not offered for this workshop.
 

Course Directors   

Arnar Geirsson, MD, New York, NY  
Arman Arghami, MD, Rochester, MN  

 

Learning Objectives

After completing this workshop, participants will be able to: 

  • Understand skills required to perform robotic cardiac surgery including mitral valve repair and coronary revascularization.  
  • Identify the essential components of building a robotic team and securing the required hospital resources to develop a safe and effective cardiac robotic program.
  • Increase their knowledge base of current evidence and surgical literature related to robotic cardiac surgery.
  • Describe different robotic techniques and practice models.  
  • Understand different peripheral perfusion techniques and myocardial protection strategies in robotic cardiac surgery.  
  • Demonstrate understanding of advanced techniques in robotic cardiac surgery including concomitant operation, aortic valve replacement, and total endoscopic coronary artery bypass (TECAB).  
  • Interact with experts in the field and become a member of the robotic cardiac surgery community.

 

Target Audience

Surgeons, bedside assistants and other team members with prior open cardiac surgery experience looking to start a robotic cardiac surgery program or team with prior robotic cardiac surgery experience looking to advance and/or add to their robotic surgical skill repertoire.
 

Prerequisites

Workshop participants must meet the following requirements:  

  1. Be an attending surgeon and or on a surgical team interested in and committed to developing a robotic cardiac program or who have recently started a robotic cardiac program with interest in expanding skills and competency.  
  2. Maintain full and unlimited credentials to do cardiac surgery at surgeon’s hospital of employment.
  3. Hospital administration has committed support for the robotic cardiac surgery program.  
  4. Proposed primary console surgeon for robotic MICAB has performed >250 CABG independently over their career.  
  5. Proposed primary console surgeon for robotic mitral valve repair has performed >75 career intracardiac mitral valve procedure with or without surgical ablation and >40 in the past two years.  
  6. Hospital with >250 annual open-heart cases.  
  7. Maintain access to robotic block time at least two days per month.  
  8. Work in a hospital with a dedicated team of cardiac anesthesiologists.
     

Agenda

Day 1 - Thursday, May 14
TimeActivity
6:45 – 7:45 a.m.Registration / Medtronic Breakfast Symposium: Navigating the Small Space: Optimizing robotic mitral valve replacement with the low-profile Mosaic Neo™ mitral valve
7:45 – 8 a.m.Group 1 – Remains at Hotel/Break/Visit Exhibits
Group 2 – Takes Bus to Intuitive Lab 
8 – 11:45 a.m.Group 1 – Didactic/Lectures at Hotel
Group 2 – Hands-On Lab at Intuitive
8 – 11:45 a.m.

Group 1 – Lectures

  • 8 – 8:15 a.m.               Patient Selection and Preoperative Assessment
                                        Stephanie Mick, MD
  • 8:15 – 8:30 a.m.          Rooms/Patient Setup, Port placement, and Myocardiac Protection
                                        Arman Arghami, MD
  • 8:30 – 8:45 a.m.          Mitral Valve Repair – Resection and Band
                                        Arnar Geirsson, MD
  • 8:45 – 9 a.m.               Adding Maze and Left Atrial Appendage Management
                                        Serguei Melnitchouk, MD
  • 9 – 9:15 a.m.               Mitral Valve Repair – Chords and Band    
                                        Mike Halkos, MD
  • 9:15 – 9:30 a.m.          Mitral Valve Replacement
                                        Michael Ibrahim, MD
  • 9:30 – 9:45 a.m.          Panel Discussion
  • 9:45 – 10:15 a.m.        Break / Visit Exhibits
  • 10:15 – 10:30 a.m.      Robotic Mitral Surgery – Evidence 
                                        Dominic Emerson, MD
  • 10:30 – 10:45 a.m.      Complex Mitral Repair – Endocarditis, Anterior Leaflet, MAC
                                        Robert L. Smith II, MD
  • 10:45 – 11 a.m.           Tricuspid Valve Repair
                                        Serguei Melnitchouk, MD
  • 11 – 11:15 a.m.           Complications and How to Avoid Them
                                        Arman Arghami, MD
  • 11:15 – 11:30 a.m.      Robotic Aortic Valve Replacement
                                        Vinay Badhwar, MD
  • 11:30 – 11:45 a.m.      Panel Discussion
     
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.Group 1 – Lunch / Visit Exhibits
11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Group 2 – Lunch at Intuitive
12:30 – 4 p.m.Group 2 – Lab at Intuitive
12:45 – 4 p.m.

Group 1 – Lectures

  • 12:45 – 1 p.m.             Patient Selection and Preoperative Imaging
                                        Brittany Zwischenberger, MD
  • 1 – 1:15 p.m.               LITA and BITA Takedown
                                        Chase Brown, MD
  • 1:15 – 1:30 p.m.          How I Do It: Robotic MIDCAB    
                                        Amalia Jonsson, MD
  • 1:30 – 1:45 p.m.          Robotic On-Pump CABG
                                        Danny Ramzy, MD
  • 1:45 – 2 p.m.               Robotic MIDCABG in the Challenging Patient – Pushing Boundaries
                                        Gianluca Torregrossa, MD
  • 2 – 2:15 p.m.               Panel Discussion
  • 2:15 – 2:45 p.m.          Break / Visit Exhibits
  • 2:45 – 3 p.m.               TECAB Without the Endowrist Stabilizer
                                        Johannes Bonatti, MD
  • 3 – 3:15 p.m.               Hybrid Coronary Revascularization        
                                        Bob Kiaii, MD
  • 3:15 – 3:30 p.m.          Robotic Practice After Fellowship
                                        Yazan AlJamal, MD
  • 3:30 – 3:45 p.m.          Robotic Coronary Pros and Cons – the Data            
                                        Johannes Bonatti, MD
  • 3:45 – 4 p.m.               Panel Discussion
4 – 4:30 p.m.Group 2 – Return to Hotel
Break / Visit Exhibits
4:30 – 6 p.m.

Groups 1 and 2 – Lectures

  • 4:30 – 4:50 p.m.          How to Build and Sustain a Robotic Program
                                        Arnar Geirsson, MD
  • 4:50 – 5:10 p.m.          Robotic Multivalve and Valve CABG: Moving Beyond Simple
                                        Gianlucca Torregross, MD
  • 5:10 – 5:30 p.m.          Robotic Multivalve and Valve CABG: Moving Beyond Simple
                                        Vinay Badhwar, MD
  • 5:30 – 6 p.m.               Panel Discussion 
6 – 6:45 p.m.enableCV Dinner Symposium / Visit Exhibits
Day 2 - Friday, May 15
TimeActivity
6:45 – 7:45 a.m. Registration / Breakfast / Breakfast Symposium
7:45 – 8 a.m.Group 2 stays at hotel
Group 1 takes bus to Intuitive Lab
8 – 11:45 a.m.Group 1 – Lab at Intuitive
8 – 11:45 a.m.

Group 2 – Lectures at Hotel

  • 8 – 8:15 a.m.               Patient Selection and Preoperative Assessment
                                        Stephanie Mick, MD
  • 8:15 – 8:30 a.m.          Rooms/Patient Setup, Port placement, and Myocardiac Protection
                                        Arman Arghami, MD
  • 8:30 – 8:45 a.m.          Mitral Valve Repair – Resection and Band
                                        Arnar Geirsson, MD
  • 8:45 – 9 a.m.               Adding Maze and Left Atrial Appendage Management
                                        Serguei Melnitchouk, MD
  • 9 – 9:15 a.m.               Mitral Valve Repair – Chords and Band    
                                        Mike Halkos, MD
  • 9:15 – 9:30 a.m.          Mitral Valve Replacement
                                        Michael Ibrahim, MD
  • 9:30 – 9:45 a.m.          Panel Discussion
  • 9:45 – 10:15 a.m.        Break / Visit Exhibits
  • 10:15 – 10:30 a.m.      Robotic Mitral Surgery – Evidence 
                                        Dominic Emerson, MD
  • 10:30 – 10:45 a.m.      Complex Mitral Repair – Endocarditis, Anterior Leaflet, MAC
                                        Robert L. Smith II, MD
  • 10:45 – 11 a.m.           Tricuspid Valve Repair
                                        Serguei Melnitchouk, MD
  • 11 – 11:15 a.m.           Complications and How to Avoid Them
                                        Arman Arghami, MD
  • 11:15 – 11:30 a.m.      Robotic Aortic Valve Replacement
                                        Vinay Badhwar, MD
  • 11:30 – 11:45 a.m.      Panel Discussion
11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Group 1 – Lunch at Intuitive
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.Group 2 – Lunch/Visit Exhibits
12:30 – 4 p.m.Group 1 – Lab at Intuitive
12:45 – 4 p.m.

Group 2 – Lectures at Hotel

  • 12:45 – 1 p.m.             Patient Selection and Preoperative Imaging
                                        Brittany Zwischenberger, MD
  • 1 – 1:15 p.m.               LITA and BITA Takedown
                                        Chase Brown, MD
  • 1:15 – 1:30 p.m.          How I Do It: Robotic MIDCAB    
                                        Amalia Jonsson, MD
  • 1:30 – 1:45 p.m.          Robotic On-Pump CABG
                                        Danny Ramzy, MD
  • 1:45 – 2 p.m.               Robotic MIDCABG in the Challenging Patient – Pushing Boundaries
                                        Gianluca Torregrossa, MD
  • 2 – 2:15 p.m.               Panel Discussion
  • 2:15 – 2:45 p.m.          Break / Visit Exhibits
  • 2:45 – 3 p.m.               TECAB Without the Endowrist Stabilizer
                                        Johannes Bonatti, MD
  • 3 – 3:15 p.m.               Hybrid Coronary Revascularization        
                                        Bob Kiaii, MD
  • 3:15 – 3:30 p.m.          Robotic Practice After Fellowship
                                        Yazan AlJamal, MD
  • 3:30 – 3:45 p.m.          Robotic Coronary Pros and Cons – the Data            
                                        Johannes Bonatti, MD
  • 3:45 – 4 p.m.               Panel Discussion
4 p.m.End of Workshop

 

Pricing

 MemberNon-Member
Surgeon/Physician$1,300$1,600
Allied Health, Trainees, and Medical Students$700$800
Industry Employee $1,500

Registration is at capacity; further applications are not being accepted. Applicants who have been accepted to the workshop should register via the provided link, submit payment, and book housing prior to April 23. 
 

Housing

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast (5993 Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Peachtree Corners, GA 30092). The special group rate is $163, plus state and local taxes. This rate is available until April 23, 2026, on a first-come, first-served basis. Reserve online.

 

Cancelations

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons will issue a refund, minus a $100 administrative fee, for all cancelations received in writing to the Meetings Department by Friday, May 1, 2026. No refunds will be issued after this date.

 

Exhibitors

View the Exhibitor Prospectus.

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