2025 Canadian Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Conference
Bringing together Canadian minimally invasive cardiac surgeons, interventional cardiologists, and healthcare professionals to foster collaboration and learning
About the Conference
Promoting education and collaboration, our MICS conference brings together surgeons, anesthesiologists, intensivists, and trainees interested in minimally invasive cardiac surgery. This interactive conference will focus on the technical aspects of minimally invasive surgery, perioperative care, and strategies to integrate a MICS program as an important component of a comprehensive cardiac centre.
The MICS conference is supported by AHS, our industry partners, and the Libin Cardiovascular Institute.
Strong Commitment to Trainee Education
As always, the Canadian MICS Conference continues to support resident and fellow education:
- Open to cardiac surgery residents, fellows, and trainees from Canada and beyond
- Dedicated sessions for residents to present research and clinical cases, with faculty feedback
- Fellows encouraged to participate in both didactic and simulation components
Our goal is to provide an immersive experience that supports the next generation of cardiac surgeons through experiential learning, direct faculty engagement, and case-based education.
Learning Objectives
- Video-based review of the technical aspects of minimally invasive cardiac surgery
- Learning from simulation of minimally invasive techniques
- Implementation of perioperative strategies to reduce pain, facilitate early mobility, and shorten length of stay
- Case-based discussion of outcomes and experiences with minimally invasive techniques
- Establish collaborative research efforts between centers
Expanded Programming at the Canadian MICS Conference
The 2025 Canadian MICS Conference is proud to introduce two exciting additions to this year’s program, designed to enhance hands-on learning and multidisciplinary collaboration in minimally invasive cardiac surgery.
Catheter-Based Valve Therapies
📍 Location: Malcolm Hotel
🕛 Time: Friday, 12:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Join us for a dedicated Friday afternoon session focused on catheter-based treatments for mitral and tricuspid valve disease. This interactive, case-based session will include:
- Collaborative case presentations from experts in interventional cardiology, cardiac echocardiography, and anesthesiology
- In-depth discussion on valve implantation techniques, imaging strategies, and emerging transcatheter technologies
This session is a significant expansion of the conference and reflects our commitment to multidisciplinary learning and real-world, case-based education.
New Simulation Room: Hands-On Procedural Training
📍 Location: Malcolm Hotel
🕛 Time: TBD
For the first time, the conference will feature a dedicated simulation room offering hands-on, proctored training across a wide range of advanced cardiac procedures to enhance technical proficiency and foster a deeper understanding of the latest innovations and procedural workflows in modern cardiac surgery and interventional therapy.
Attendees will rotate through interactive stations focused on:
- Edge-to-edge mitral repair techniques
- Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)
- Robotic and minimally invasive valve surgery
- Atrial fibrillation ablation
- ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation)
This immersive environment aims to enhance technical proficiency and foster a deeper understanding of the latest innovations and procedural workflows in modern cardiac surgery and interventional therapy.
Agenda
Location: Canmore, Alberta
Date: Saturday, December 13, 2025
Time: 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM
| Time | Topic / Details | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00 | Breakfast and registration | |
| 8:00 | Welcome & Opening Remarks Overview of the day’s sessions | Drs. Corey Adams & William Kent |
| Session 1: | Coronary Surgery in the Minimally Invasive Era | Moderator: Dr. Bob Kiaii |
| 8:15 | How I do it – Minimally Invasive Multivessel Coronary Revascularization | Dr. Marc Ruel |
| 8:30 | How I do it: Robotic CABG | Dr. Kelsey Gray |
| 8:45 | The Evolution of Robotic Minimally Invasive CABG | Dr. Hasam Balkhy |
| Session 2: | Robotic Cardiac Surgery | Moderator: Dr. Denis Bouchard |
| 9:05 | Starting a Robotic Cardiac Surgery Program in Canada | Dr. Gian Bisleri |
| 9:20 | Emerging Robotic Technology | Dr. Bob Kiaii |
| 9:35 | Panel Discussion: Challenges & Opportunities in Robotic Cardiac Surgery | |
| 10:00-10:20 | Stretch & Coffee Break | |
| Session 3: | Valve Surgery | Moderator: Dr. Marc Pelletier |
| 10:30 | The bicuspid aortic annulus: Implications for AVR | Dr. Paul Fedak |
| 10:45 | My Experience: Minimally Invasive AVR with the Perceval Valve | Dr. Mahesh Ramchandani |
| 11:00 | Redo MVr with Beating Heart NeoChord Procedure | Dr. Peyman Sardari Nia |
| 11:15 | Overcoming the Pain Points of MICS | Dr. Mario Castillo-Sang |
| 11:30 | Novel ablation techniques | Dr. Niv Ad |
| 11:45 | Panel Discussion | |
| 12:15 – 1:15 PM | Lunch Break | |
| 11:15 - 1:00 (Concurrent) | Resident Video Presentations (Adjacent room: Glamis) | Drs. Aly Ghoneim & Marc Pelletier |
| Session 4: | Miscellaneous MICS Topics | Moderator: Dr. Zubair Luqman |
| 1:30 | TAVI explant techniques | Dr. Gopal Bhatnagar |
| 1:45 | The Vancouver Experience with the Lux Valve for Severe TR | Dr. Anson Cheung |
| 2:00 | Video: Optimal exposure for RAMT AVR | Dr. Chris Malaisrie |
| Session 5: | Practice & MICS Pitfalls | Moderator: Dr. Bob Kiaii |
| 2:15 | 3D Endoscopy and Chord-X: Complex DMR (Video) | Dr. Mario Castillo-Sang |
| 2:30 | “Mistakes I’ve made” – MICS | Dr. Aaron Spooner |
| 2:45 | Is the robot ready for AVR? | Dr. Husam H. Balkhy |
| 3:00 | Resident/Fellow Presentation | TBC |
| Session 6: | Fireside Discussion Global Perspectives of MICS | Moderator: Dr. Chris Malaisrie |
| 3:15 | Global Adoption • Training Models • Institutional Integration | Panel: Drs. Marc Ruel, Gopal Bhatnagar, Gry Dahle, Mahesh Ramchandani, Denis Bouchard |
| 4:00 | Stretch & Coffee Break | |
| Session 7: | Expanding MICS | Moderator: Dr. Niv Ad |
| 4:15 | MIS techniques for Tricuspid Surgery | Dr. Denis Bouchard |
| 4:30 | Advances in Simulation | Dr. Peyman Sardari Nia |
| 4:45 | The Benefits of ERACS | Dr. Gry Dahle |
| 5:00 | Left atrial appendage management | Dr. Niv Ad |
| 5:15-5:30 PM | Closing Remarks | Drs. Corey Adams & William Kent |
Dr. Paul W.M. Fedak, Ph.D.
Cardiac Surgeon | Director, Libin Cardiovascular Institute
Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
Dr. Husam H. Balkhy
Professor of Surgery
Director, Robotic and Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
University of Chicago
Dr. William Kent, MSc, FRCSC
Clinical Associate Professor,
Dept. of Cardiac Sciences, University of Calgary
Cardiac Surgeon, Calgary Zone
Dr. Corey Adams, MSc, FRCSC
Clinical Associate Professor,
Dept. of Cardiac Sciences, University of Calgary
Cardiac Surgeon, Calgary Zone
Dr. Janine Eckstein
Interventional Cardiologist, University of Saskatchewan
Dr. Max Buchko
Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Alberta, Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute
Dr. Anson Cheung FRCSC
Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of British Columbia
Surgical Director of Cardiac Transplantation of British Columbia
Dr. Kelsey Gray
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Director of Heart Transplant
Yale University
Dr. Marc Ruel, MPH, FRCSC, FAHA, FCCS, FACC
Cardiac Surgeon & Director, Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
Chair in Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Research
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
Dr. Gopal Bhatnagar
Institute Chief, Cardiac Surgery, Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Dr. Denis Bouchard, CM, MSc, FRCS
Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Montreal Heart Institute
Dr. Mahesh K. Ramchandani, FRCS, FACS
Director of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery and Vice Chair of Cardiac Surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital System in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Aaron Spooner
Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba
Cardiac Surgeon, WRHA Cardiac Sciences Program, St. Boniface Hospital
Dr. Matthew Cheung, FRCPC DRCPSC
Dept. of Cardiac Sciences, University of Calgary, Division of Echocardiography
Specializing in Mitral Imaging
Dr. Mario Castillo-Sang
Cardiothoracic Surgeon, St. Elizabeth Healthcare
Edgewood Heart & Vascular Institute, Kentucky
Dr. Gry Dahle
Specialist in cardiothoracic surgery and consultant at Oslo University Hospital
Assistant head of the Emergency Department, Akershus University Hospital
Dr. Chris Malaisrie
Professor of Surgery, Division of Cardiac Surgery Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Attending Cardiac Surgeon, Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, Northwestern Medicine
Dr. Robert Boone
Interventional Cardiologist Cath Lab Director - St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital/Dilawri Cardiovascular Institute, University of British Columbia
Dr. Bob Kiaii
Cardiac Surgery Section Lead, Department of Cardiac Sciences in the Calgary Zone
Dr. Gianluigi Bisleri
Joseph Vitale & TLN Media Chair in Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Director, Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Surgical Director, Structural Heart Program, Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Cardiac Surgery, St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto
Dr. Peyman Sardari Nia
Peyman Sardari Nia, MD, PhD, Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Maastricht University Medical Center, Associate Professor, Maastricht University, Editor-in-Chief of Interdisciplinary Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (ICVTS), EACTS
