Difficult decisions in heart valve surgery: An evidence-based approach

With the advent of transcatheter technology to treat heart valve disease, an increasing proportion of patients referred for surgical management will be higher risk and have complex disease – i.e involvement of a second or third valve, have atrial fibrillation and/or multi vessel coronary disease.

During this meeting, aimed at senior trainees and junior consultants in Cardiothoracic Surgery, indications and helpful guides for the treatment of these patients will be presented by a diverse faculty from all over the U.K. who are experts in the field.

There are many factors that determine how such patients are treated surgically on the day and we are privileged to have as a speaker, Professor Rhonda Flin an eminent psychologist from The University of Aberdeen who is an expert in Human Factors and who is involved with the NOTSS programme at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

We are also very privileged to have Professor Steve Bolling from the University of Michigan in the US who has published widely on heart valve disease including the treatment of functional mitral and tricuspid regurgitation. He will speak to us on the surgery of functional tricuspid regurgitation.

During the meeting, selected complex heart valve disease case discussions submitted by trainees will also be discussed in an MDT type forum. Prizes will be awarded for the best presentations.

Topics include: 

• The evidence behind decisions to manage functional regurgitation in the mitral or tricuspid positions.
• The role of modern transcatheter technology to manage difficult cases of heart valve failure.
• Confidence building in the management of these patients with complex cardiac needs with confidence.

Case Presentation Prize

Submit a 250-word abstract on a case presentation. The abstract can include figures, diagrams and scans. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to present their paper at a Cardiothoracic meeting.

Prize:

• Oral presentation: One year’s free RSM membership and a bottle of champagne
• Poster presentation: One year’s free RSM membership and a bottle of wine

Submission deadline: 15 April 2021

Open to: All pre-clinical and clinical cardiothoracic students and trainees.