Videos

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.

Robotics is being called the “fourth industrial revolution.” For some cardiothoracic surgeons, robotics means smaller, faster, and easier, resulting in patients getting out of the hospital sooner, having less pain, and returning to function faster. For others, the jury is still out on whether or not robotics will add long-term value, especially if surgeons face potential carpal tunnel injuries, back pain, and cervical stenosis. David T. Cooke, MD, moderates a panel discussion with Robert E. Merritt, MD, Lana Y. Schumacher, MD, Melanie A. Edwards, MD, and Inderpal S. Sarkaria, MD.

For cardiothoracic surgeons who are hoping to advance in their careers, it’s often difficult to balance clinical work with the scholarly activities that are necessary for promotion in a modern academic medicine environment. Ourania A. Preventza, MD, and colleagues including Himanshu J. Patel, MD, Elaine E. Tseng, MD, and Sunil Singhal, MD, provide insight on the processes required and tips to help young surgeons successfully get to the next step.

Cardiothoracic surgeons are studying the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to improve risk prediction in the hopes that patient outcomes also will improve. Arman Kilic, MD, and Ara A. Vaporciyan, MD, along with medical student Brian Ayers, discuss what AI and ML mean, how it can uncover previously unknown relationships in medical data, and how it can be used to assist the surgeon in the operating room.

More than 100,000 people in the United States currently are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, including 5,000 people on the transplant list for a heart and/or lungs, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Although some will die before they receive a transplant, surgeons and research teams are making great strides in expanding the pool of viable organs. Zachary N. Kon, MD, moderates a discussion with Ashish S. Shah, MD, Matthew G.

Understanding a patient’s frailty index is an important part of assessing the risks and benefits of a surgical procedure for a cardiothoracic surgery patient. Frailty sometimes is measured by a patient’s grip strength, weight, and walking test results, but standards for evaluating and treating frailty before surgery do not exist.

Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer of people around the world, with approximately 18 million deaths annually, according to the World Health Organization. Treatment options for heart disease include lifestyle changes, stenting, and surgery. But which option is best and for which patients? Thomas E. MacGillivray, MD (Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX), moderates a panel discussion with Jennifer S. Lawton, MD (Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD), John D.

Cardiothoracic surgeons are at significant risk of burnout because of long work hours, delayed career gratification, complex health care, intense personality, and poor work-life balance. In fact, recent data show that more than half of cardiothoracic surgeons reported feeling burned out. In this important roundtable discussion, Thomas K. Varghese Jr., MD, MS, gathers tips to avoid burnout from Oliver S. Chow, MD, Michal Hubka, MD, and Susan D. Moffatt-Bruce, MD, PhD, MBA.

The biggest threat to lung health in the current era is vaping. Shanda H. Blackmon, MD, MPH, moderates a discussion about the changing landscape of tobacco use, which includes vaping as the new gateway to smoking. She and colleagues, J. Robert Headrick, MD, MBA, Matthew A. Steliga, MD, and Keith S. Naunheim, MD, describe the “terrifying” statistics about vaping, why patients are oftentimes afraid to seek help, the use of graphics warnings, and why bringing smoking cessation resources to patients may become more necessary.