May 1, 2008 - Cardiothoracic surgeons will discuss the benefits of using new technologies to facilitate off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) procedures, including minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgery at the symposium "Innovations in Revascularization" hosted by Cardica, Intuitive Surgical, MAQUET Cardiovascular and Transonic Systems.
This educational event will take place on Monday, May 12, in conjunction with the 88th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) in San Diego, CA, and will feature "Enabling Technologies for Minimally Invasive Revascularization." Following presentations by the cardiothoracic surgeons, there will be an opportunity to meet the faculty. This activity is not part of the official scientific program of the AATS Annual Meeting.
"This educational forum is a tremendous opportunity for cardiothoracic surgeons to gain insight into the cutting-edge tools and techniques used to optimize beating-heart revascularization," said Mark W. Connolly, M.D., director of the department of cardiovascular thoracic surgery at Saint Michael's Medical Center in Newark, N.J. "Today, we are able to overcome the barriers presented by OPCAB and minimally invasive revascularization, including robotic-assisted surgery, by using innovative technologies throughout the procedure, resulting in consistent and reproducible outcomes in patients undergoing beating heart coronary artery bypass grafting."
The symposium will be moderated by Husam Balkhy, M.D., of The Wisconsin Heart Hospital, and will feature four cardiac surgeons presenting on the following topics "Cardiac Positioning for Complete Revascularization Off-Pump" presented by Mark W. Connolly, M.D., of Saint Michael's Medical Center; "Automated Distal Anastomosis Technology in Challenging Coronary Anatomy" with Marc R. Katz, M.D., of Bon Secours Saint Mary's Hospital; "Reduction of Aortic Manipulation via Device-Facilitated Proximal Anastomosis" presented by John D. Puskas, M.D., of Emory University School of Medicine; and "Robotic Revascularization: Redefining Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery" by Sudhir P. Srivastava, M.D., of the University of Chicago Medical Center.
For more information: www.daVinciSurgery.com and www.intuitivesurgical.com