Clinical Decision-Making

Press Release from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Press Release
New Practice Guideline Addresses Diagnosis, Treatment of Type B Aortic Dissection

Leading societies release first comprehensive guideline of its kind

CHICAGO (January 25, 2022) — The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) released a new clinical practice guideline that includes major recommendations for managing patients with type B aortic dissection (TBAD). The guideline was published online today in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery and The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

Jan 20, 2022

Blog
Good Surgeons, Bad Outcomes: Dealing with Difficult Situations

Dec 21, 2021

3 min read

Betty C. Tong, MD, MHS, MS

Press Release
Select Heart Surgery Patients May Not Need Opioid Pain Meds when Discharged

Research challenges use of ‘just in case’ opioid prescriptions

**A recorded press briefing featuring this research is available.**

CHICAGO (December 16, 2021) — Many patients who undergo heart surgery may be able to safely and effectively control postoperative pain without opioids after hospital discharge, according to research published online today in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

Dec 13, 2021

Blog
CMS Reopens NCD for CT Lung Screening: There Is More at Stake than Just Lungs

Dr. Rob Headrick describes the importance of the revised guidelines and the role of cardiothoracic surgery in leading the charge and helping to save more lives.

Jun 21, 2021

5 min read

J. Rob Headrick, MD, MBA

Blog
The Call to Update Medicare Lung Cancer Screening Coverage

Dr. Mara Antonoff describes the importance of the revised guidelines and addresses two key challenges that remain: financial coverage and awareness.

Jun 5, 2021

4 min read

Mara B. Antonoff, MD

Podcast
#68: STS Summer Series: Controversial Cases in Mitral Disease–Surgical and Transcatheter Treatments

An expert panel debate the merits of surgical versus transcatheter treatments and review challenging mitral valve cases such as degenerative mitral regurgitation, mitral annular calcification, functional mitral valve regurgitation, and failed bioprosthetic mitral valve.

1 hr. 12 min.

Podcast
#67: STS Summer Series: Addressing the Cardiac Surgery Opioid Crisis

Why Is This Even an Issue? by Daniel T. Engelman, MD, and Now What Do I Do? by Michael C. Grant, MD, MSE – explore the role of cardiac surgery as a contributor to the opioid epidemic.

57 min.

Podcast
#64: STS Summer Series: SAVR vs. TAVR: Controversial Cases and Insights from the Experts

A panel of cardiothoracic surgeons and cardiologists review challenging cases of aortic stenosis and debate the merits of SAVR vs. TAVR as the preferred treatment.

1 hr. 3 min.

Podcast
#62: STS Summer Series: Clinical Research in VHD during COVID: Adapting to a Dynamic and Multifaceted Pandemic

They discuss the effects of the pandemic on research infrastructure, impediments to patient follow-ups and data collection, potential shifts in collaborative trial development guided by the FDA, and new techniques in post-market surveillance.

1 hr. 12 min.

Podcast
#61: STS Summer Series: Economic Impact of COVID and Implications for the Future of Cardiothoracic Surgery

At a time when cardiothoracic surgeons face 7%-8% cuts in Medicare reimbursement, they talked about the financial strain that COVID has had on staffing and salaries, how cardiothoracic surgeons quickly adapted to their roles on the front lines, the potential need for surgeons to begin rebuilding their referral networks, and the positive accelerated development of telemedicine opportunities.

59 min.

Blog
Cardiothoracic Surgeons Offer Compassion, Perseverance, and Experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dr. Vinod H. Thourani describes how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting cardiothoracic surgeons and their patients and how the specialty is uniquely equipped to handle the high-intensity work of actively managing COVID-19 patients.

May 4, 2020

4 min read

Vinod H. Thourani, MD

Video
Future of Mitral Valve Surgery

Managing and treating mitral valve disease have both changed radically over the past few years and now include transcatheter as well as surgical approaches. What does the future hold for mitral valve repair and replacement? During the most recent STS Annual Meeting, Vinod Thourani, MD, asked that question of Steven F. Bolling, MD, Gorav Ailawadi, MD, and Wilson Y. Szeto, MD. They also discussed new tools and technologies, making sure that cardiothoracic surgeons are involved on the care team, and training with transcatheter techniques.

21 min.

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