The 2026 STS Perioperative & Critical Care Conference brought together the full cardiothoracic care team in Baltimore, Maryland, for two days of education and discussion on Oct. 9-10, 2026. The program explored the latest techniques and management strategies in cardiovascular and thoracic (CVT) critical care and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), with an emphasis on optimizing patient care and improving outcomes.
Subhasis Chatterjee, MD, chair of this year’s conference, opened the program alongside ERAS Cardiac leaders Michael Grant, MD; Alex Gregory, MD; Cheryl Crisafi, MSN, RN; and Amanda Rea, DNP, CRNP. Enhanced recovery was a core focus of the conference, with sessions examining ERAS implementation and evaluation, patient blood management, acute kidney injury prevention, opioid-sparing pain management, and strategies for improving interdisciplinary teamwork during ICU rounds.
Participants also explored ECMO management, ultrasound assessment of cardiac function and intravascular volume, postoperative cardiac emergencies, and advanced ventilation strategies for cardiac surgery patients. Additional sessions addressed perioperative management of patients with heart failure, vasoplegia diagnosis and treatment, shock team organization, and emerging metrics for evaluating health care team performance.
Together, these topics provided practical insights into the complex challenges facing perioperative and critical care teams and strategies to support better patient outcomes.
-
Image
-
Image
-
Image
-
Image
-
Image
-
Image
