2025 STS Coronary Conference

1 - 3 p.m.
(Group 1)

3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
(Group 2)

Hands-On Training Village (Non-CME)

Station 1: Anastomosis Masterclass 
Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson

Station 2: Flow Measurement & Quality Control 
Sponsored by Medistim

Station 3: Atrial Fibrillation Treatment 
Sponsored by Atricure

Abstract Session
Moderators: Joseph F. Sabik III, Cleveland, OH and Irbaz Hameed, MD, PhD, New Haven, CT

• (Case Presentation) Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction in a Patient with Bilateral Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flaps for Breast Reconstruction
  AlleaBelle Bradshaw, Baltimore, MD
• Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Nonagenarians Undergoing Aortic Valve Replacement: Insights into Survival and Quality of Life
  Sina Danesh, Rochester, MN
• Effect of Mechanical Circulatory Support on Outcomes in Patients with Cardiogenic Shock Secondary to Acute Myocardial Infarction
  Ahmed Elmahrouk, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
• A Novel Minimally Invasive Approach Facilitating Concomitant Coronary Artery Bypass and Multiple Valve Surgery
  Sahra Tasdelen, Graz, Austria
• The Impact of GLP-1 Inhibitors on Patients Undergoing Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: Results from over 4000 Patients
  Irsa Hasan, Pittsburgh, PA
• Sequential Grafting of the Skeletonized Left Internal Mammary Artery to the Left Coronary Artery System
  Živojin Jonjev, Novi Sad, Serbia
• Utility of Preoperative P2Y12 Levels in Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery on Bleeding Risk
  Joshua Leibowitz, Baltimore, MD
• Off-Pump No-Touch Versus On-Pump CABG in Obese Patients with Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease
  Mark Lutz, Syracuse, NY
• Coronary Endarterectomy Outcomes in Patients Undergoing CABG: Single Center Experience Over the Last Decade
  Samim Azizi, Doha, Qatar
• Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting with and Without Perioperative Surgically Implanted Microaxial Pumps for High-Risk Patients with Ischemic Cardiomyopathy: A Single-Center STS Analysis
  Fatima Qamar, Houston, TX

Abstract Session 
Moderators: Marc Ruel, MD, MPH, Ottawa, ON, Canada and Sigrid Sandner, MD, Vienna, Austria

• Robotic-Assisted CABG, Left Atrial Appendage Clip and Convergent Procedure: A Minimally Invasive Approach for Combined Disease
  Pablo Ruda Vega, Cleveland, OH
• Evaluating the Role of Gender in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery Outcomes
  Lauryn Spinetta, Dallas, TX
• Clinical Outcomes of the Sushi Technique in Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Patients with Aortic Disease: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis
  Ryohei Ushioda, Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan
• Biomechanical Assessment of Sternal Closure Stability Using and Excluding Demineralized Bone Matrix Graft: A Finite Element Analysis Study
  John Williams, Fort Wayne, IN
• Long-Term Outcomes of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Using the Pure Internal Thoracic Artery Technique
  Jong Jun Yong, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
• Mid-Term Outcomes and Graft Patency for Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery with Proximal Inflow from Descending Aorta
  Zhandong Zhou, Syracuse, New York
• Outcomes of Bloodless Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Five-Year Single-Center Experience
  Ahmed Hozain, Chicago, IL
• Platelet Counts Following Cardiac Surgery: Patterns and Clinical Implications
  Joanna Lin, New York, NY
• (Case Presentation) Surgical Unroofing and Transplantation of a Heart with Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery Bridge
  Aditya Sengupta, New York, NY
• The Impact of Secondary Graft Choice on Intra-Operative Resource Utilization During Multi-Vessel Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
  Ricky Patil, Ann Arbor, MI

Session 1: Mastering Coronary Surgery: Expert Techniques
Moderators: Brittany Zwischenberger, MD, Durham, NC, and Marc Ruel, MD

• Direct Vision, Bilateral ITA Harvest and RGEA MIS
  Keita Kikuchi, Xi’an, China
• Side to Side Anastomosis
  Joseph F. Sabik III
• LAD Endarterectomy
  John Puskas, Atlanta, GA
• Endoscopic Coronary Surgery—Bilateral ITA Harvesting from Left Side with Elongation Using the Radial Artery
  Fadhil Alamrani, Dearborn, MI
• The Composite Anastomosis in MIS—Tips and Tricks
  Piroze Davierwala, North York, ON, Canada

Video Session: Your Cases, Your Skills: Coronary Surgery in Practice
Moderators: Husam H. Balkhy, MD, Chicago, IL, and James Tatoulis, MD, MS, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

• Surgical Video: Multi-Vessel Robot Assisted Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Revascularization with Radial Y-Graft
  Connor Barrett, New York, NY
• Surgical Video: Robotic Off-Pump TECAB to the RCA Using RITA: A Totally Endoscopic Approach
  Yazan AlJamal, Chicago, IL
• Surgical Video: Revascularization of Patent Left Internal Mammary Artery Graft in the Setting of Subclavian Stenosis
  Connor Barrett
• Surgical Video: RIMA Made Easy in Minimally Invasive CABG
  Gustavo Orellana, Guayaquil, Ecuador
• Surgical Video: Totally Endoscopic Myocardial Bridge Unroofing: A Robotic Solution to a Coronary Challenge
  Andrea Amabile, Pittsburgh, PA

Session 1: Making the Most of Your Conduits: How to Use the Radial Artery  
Moderators: Mario Gaudino, MD, PhD, New York, NY and Brittany Zwischenberger, MD, Durham, NC 

• Video Masterclass: Open and Endoscopic Radial Artery Harvesting
  Christopher Lau, MD, New York, NY
• Video Masterclass: Surgical Strategy and Techniques
  David Glineur, MD, PhD, Newfoundland, Canada  
• Prevention and Treatment of Spasm
  James Tatoulis, MD, MS, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
• Do Women Benefit More Than Men from Use of the Radial Artery?
  Jennifer Lawton, MD, Baltimore, MD
• Panel Discussion 

Session 2: Making the Most of Your Conduits: BITA Grafting 
Moderators: Joseph F. Sabik III, MD, Cleveland, OH and James Tatoulis, MD, MS

• Skeletonized and Pedicled ITAs: The Pros and Cons
  Marc Ruel, MD, MPH, Ottawa, ON, Canada
• Video Masterclass: How to Deploy BITA
  Sigrid Sandner, MD, Vienna, Austria
• Why Experience Matters with BITA Grafting
  John Puskas, MD, Atlanta, GA
• Video Masterclass: Expanding the Limits – Recycling the ITA
  Giuseppe Tavilla, MD, Temple, TX
• Panel Discussion 

Session 3: State-of-the-Art in Coronary Surgery: What Does the Evidence Say? 
Moderators: Joseph F. Sabik III, MD, and Jennifer Lawton, MD 
Panelists: Mario Gaudino, MD, PhD,  and Joseph B. Zwischenberger, MD, Lexington, KY 

• Atrial Management in the CABG Patient
  Richard Whitlock, Hamilton, ON, Canada
• Mechanical Circulatory Support in High-Risk CABG
  TBD
• FFR – Why It Matters in PCI, But Not in CABG
  Mario Gaudino, MD, PhD
• Contemporary Secondary Prevention 
  Subodh Verma, MD, PhD, FRCSC, Toronto, ON, Canada 

Session 4: Which Kind of Academic Surgeon Do You Want to Be? 
Moderators: Patrick O. Myers, MD, Lausanne, Switzerland and Richard Whitlock, MD, PhD, FRCSC, Hamilton, ON, Canada 

• Surgeon Scientist: Clinical Research
  Mario Gaudino, MD, PhD
• Surgeon Scientist: Translational Research
  Jennifer Lawton, MD
• Surgeon Innovator: Developing a New Idea into an FDA-Approved Device
  Joseph Zwischenberger, MD
• Maximizing Opportunities in Surgical Societies to Build an Academic Career
  Joseph F. Sabik III, MD
• Panel Discussion 

Session 5: Technical Pearls in Coronary Surgery  
Moderators: Marc Ruel, MD, MPH,  and Husam H. Balkhy, MD, Chicago, IL 
Panelists: James Tatoulis, MD, MS, and Jennifer Lawton, MD

• Mastering Graft Configurations: Sequential and Composite Grafting
  David Glineur, MD, PhD
• Mastering Graft Configurations: Baby Y and Elongation Strategies
  Christopher Lau, MD
• Off-Pump CABG: Achieving Optimal Exposure
  John Puskas, MD
• Transit Time Flow Measurement: Intraoperative Quality Control 
  Sigrid Sandner, MD

Abstract Session: Strategies and Outcomes in Coronary Surgery
Moderators: Marc Ruel, MD, MPH, and Brittany Zwischenberger, MD 

• Weekend Effect in Cardiac Surgery: A National Analysis of CABG Outcomes by Operative Day 
  Omar Abdel Kerim, Miami, FL
• Mid-Term Follow-Up (24 Month) of Concomitant Non-Atriotomy Surgical Ablation (GP-Maze) During Coronary Surgical Revascularization 
  Gregory Rushing, MD, Cleveland, OH
• Impact of Interhospital Transfer on Early and Late Outcomes after Urgent Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting 
  Sameer Singh, MD, New York, NY
• Propensity-Matched Comparison of Total and Non-Total Arterial Grafting in Patients with Low Ejection Fraction: Mid-Term Results 
  Dario Petrone, MD
• Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Versus Repeat Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Management of In-Stent Restenosis – A National Medicare Analysis 
  Michael Catalano, MD, Philadelphia, PA
• Redo Coronary Bypass Grafting Using a Robotic Totally Endoscopic Approach: Perioperative and Ten-Year Outcomes 
  Sarah Nisivaco, MD, Chicago, IL 

Session 6: Interactive Case Session  
Moderators: Brittany Zwischenberger, MD, and Irbaz Hameed, MD, PhD, New Haven, CT 
Panelists: Joseph F. Sabik III, MD, Jennifer Lawton, MD, David Glineur, MD, PhD, and Giuseppe Tavilla, MD

• Case 1
  Mario Gaudino, MD, PhD
• Case 2
  Sigrid Sandner, MD
• Case 3
  John Puskas, MD
• Case 4 
  Husam Balkhy, MD

Abstract Session 
Moderators: David Glineur, MD, PhD, and Piroze Davierwala, MD

• Applicability of the STS Risk-Adjusted Failure-to-Rescue Model in a Single UK Adult Cardiac Centre: A Step Toward Nationwide Implementation? 
  Augusta Paulikaite, Brighton, England, UK
• Association Between Preoperative Non-Tobacco Nicotine Dependence and Postoperative Complication Outcomes in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
• Teerth Patel, Galveston, TX
• Making the Most Out of the Internal Mammary Artery: Does Sequential Grafting on the Left Anterior Descending Artery Territory Provide Clinical Benefits in a Bilateral Internal Mammary Artery Grafting Strategy? 
  Nassim Bousmaha, Quebec, QC, Canada
• Time from STEMI to CABG Impacts Survival Outcomes 
  Joshua Crane, Louisville, KY
• Age-Based Survival Benefit of Radial Artery in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting 
  Trent Sherman, Erie, PA
• Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting with Impella 5.5 Assist Device Support in Reduced Ejection Fraction: A Case Series 
  Massimo Baudo, Wynnewood, PA
• Safety and Efficacy of Veno-Arterial ECMO Support in Robotic-Assisted Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting 
  Syed Peer, Houston, TX
• Does Robotic TECAB Mitigate the Risks of BITA Grafting in Insulin-Dependent Diabetic Patients? Early and Mid-Term Outcomes Compared to a Non-Diabetic Population 
  Riya Bhasin, Chicago, IL
• A Promising "Minimal-Volume" Cardioplegic Solution with Excellent Clinical Results 
  Thierry Carrel-Dahinden, Bern, Switzerland 

Session 7: Featured Abstracts, Keynote, and Awards   
Moderators: Joseph F. Sabik III, MD, and Marc Ruel, MD, MPH 
Panelists: Joseph Zwischenberger, MD, and David Glineur, MD, PhD   

• The Assessing and Determining Optimal Targets for CABG (ADOPT-CABG) Study Methodology 
  Alexander Egoavil, Cleveland, OH
• Socioeconomic Distress Associated with Increased Use of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Over Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting 
  Robert Hawkins, Ann Arbor, MI
• Non-Atriotomy Surgical Ablation Is Safe and Effective: A Multicenter Study 
  Gregory Rushing, Cleveland, OH
• Racial Disparities in End Stage Renal Disease Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting with Arterial Grafting 
  Christine Yang, New York, NY
• Keynote Lecture: What All Surgeons Must Know About Atrial Fibrillation
  James L. Cox, MD, Chicago, IL
• Awards 

Session 8: Minimally Invasive, Hybrid and Robotic CABG 
Moderators: David Glineur, MD, PhD, and Marc Ruel, MD, MPH 
Panelists: Husam Balkhy, MD, and Piroze Davierwala, North York, Ontario, Canada 

• Case Presentation: The Robotic-Assisted MIDCAB – Do Women Benefit Most?
  Brittany Zwischenberger, Durham, NC
• Hybrid Revascularization: Who Benefits and How to Get Started
  Husam Balkhy, Chicago, IL
• Video Masterclass: Multivessel Minimally Invasive CABG
  Piroze Davierwala, MD, MCh, North York, ON, Canada
• Case Presentation: Robotic Multivessel Minimally Invasive CABG
  Marc Ruel, MD, MPH
• Video Masterclass: Fully Robotic Multivessel CABG
  Husam Balkhy, MD
• Video Masterclass: Minimally Invasive CABG in a Redo Setting Using the Gastroepiploic Artery
  Giuseppe Tavilla, MD 

Session 9: Decision-Making in CABG: Strategies for Complex Intraoperative and Postoperative Challenges
Moderators: Marc Ruel, MD, MPH, and Joseph F. Sabik III, MD
Panelists: James Tatoulis, MD, MS, Jacqueline Tamis-Holland, MD and Joseph Zwischenberger, MD

• Mitral Regurgitation in CABG Patients: When to Repair and When to Leave It Alone
  Chris S. Malaisrie, MD, Chicago, IL
• Ischemia After CABG: When to Take the Patient Back to the Cath Lab 
  Marc Ruel, MD, MPH
• Intraoperative Graft Flow Issues: When to Revise and When to Accept 
  David Glineur, MD, PhD
• Handling Severe Aortic Calcification: When to Modify Your Surgical Strategy  
  Patrick O. Myers, MD