President's Message

On behalf of the Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons Board of Directors, we are looking forward to our first in-person Canadian Cardiovascular Congress (CCC) in 2 years later this month. Dr. Subodh Verma, our Scientific Program Chair, has put together an excellent program for us which includes an information rich postgraduate course, state-of-the-art scientific sessions and our second annual collaborative plenary session with the Society of Thoracic Surgery (STS). This year's CSCS-STS session will focus on innovation in minimally invasive cardiac procedures and promises to be another excellent session. As the "jewel in the crown event" we will host our annual dinner at the Rideau Club to provide a social activity for us all to re-engage with our colleagues, for many of us, the first time in a long time.

As I am winding down my term of serving as your President of the CSCS, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for the honour to represent our Society on the national and international stage. I hope to see all at the Annual General Meeting, to reflect on the accomplishments we have all achieved in rising to the challenge of the pandemic these past two and half years and very much look to extend a warm welcome our President-Elect Dr. Ansar Hassan to continue to lead us to towards the future.

Respectfully,

Rakesh C. Arora, MD, PhD, FRCSC

Annual General Meeting

SAVE THE DATE and join us for the CSCS Hybrid Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress (CCC) 2022. This meeting will highlight the activities and accomplishments of the CSCS and its members.

CSCS AGM

Friday October 28, 2022

12:15 PM -1:45 PM EDT

Shaw Centre, Ottawa - Room 213

The AGM is an excellent opportunity to vote on matters of governance and find out what the Society has been doing for you. Meeting material will follow.

Dr. Paul Cartier Surgery Resident Award

Congratulations to Vishnu Vasanthan MD, the winner of this year’s Paul Cartier Award.

The CSCS Dr. Paul Cartier Surgery Resident Award is presented on a yearly basis to a cardiac surgery resident who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of cardiac surgery through basic science or clinical research and who has demonstrated promise for a distinguished academic career in cardiac surgery.

We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Vasanthan has been selected as the recipient of this year’s award for his abstract tilted “PERICARDIAL DELIVERY OF MICRONIZED MATRIX BIOMATERIAL LEVERAGES AN EOSINOPHIL IMMUNE RESPONSE FOR POST-INFARCT CARDIAC REPAIR”.

Vishnu Vasanthan grew up in Edmonton and received his M.D. from the University of Alberta. He is currently a PGY-6 resident in the Cardiac Surgery and Clinician Investigator Programs at the University of Calgary. He is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Calgary supervised by Dr. Paul W.M. Fedak. Vishnu’s basic science and clinical research interests include heart failure, minimally invasive surgery, ischemic heart disease, and the application of biomaterials to enhance cardiac surgery.

The award will be officially presented at CCC 2022 on Friday October 28th during the Wilfred Bigelow Lecture & Paul Cartier Award Presentation.

CSCS at CCC 2022

Thursday, October 27, 2022

CCC 2022 KICK OFF

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM EDT

Location: Canada Hall 1

CARDIAC SURGERY RESEARCH PAPERS I

3:15 PM – 4:15 PM EDT

Location: Room 210

CARDIAC SURGERY RESEARCH PAPERS II

4:30 PM – 5:30 PM EDT

Location: Room 210

Friday, October 28, 2022

CCS/STS JOINT PLENARY: MODERN MINIMALLY INVASIVE CARDIAC SURGERY - SMALL INCISIONS, BIG TEAMS

9:45 AM – 10:45 AM EDT

Location: Canada Hall 1

WILFRED BIGELOW LECTURE & PAUL CARTIER AWARD PRESENTATION

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT

Location: Canada Hall 3

Keynote speaker: Marc Ruel, MD, MPH – University of Ottawa Heart Institute

CSCS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)

12:15 PM – 1:45 PM EDT

Location: Room 213

CSCS SURGERY POST-GRAD COURSE - PART 1

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT

Location: Room 215

CSCS SURGERY POST-GRAD COURSE - PART 2

3:15 PM – 4:15 PM EDT

Location: Room 215

CSCS YEAR-IN-REVIEW IN CARDIAC SURGERY

4:30 PM – 5:30 PM EDT

Location: Room 214

Saturday October 29, 2022

CSCS ANNUAL DINNER (ticketed event)

6:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT

Location: The Rideau Club Ottawa, ON

Career Opportunity

Southlake Regional Health Centre is seeking to fill a position for a full-time cardiac surgeon with specialized training and experience in mitral valve repair.

The successful candidate must be licensed to practice cardiac surgery in the province of Ontario, Royal College certified and experienced with most aspects of cardiac surgery including revascularization, valve repair and replacement, and aortic surgery. A proven track record and/or specialized training in mitral valve repair is essential. Specialized training in mitraclip and/or aortic disease and surgery would also be an asset.

Please forward a letter of interest, along with your curriculum vitae to Deb Green. Click here or login to your CCS/CSCS account for more information.

Invitation to Participate

You are being invited to participate in a research study.

Title of Survey: Investigating the perceptions and wellbeing of surgeons, anesthesiologists, and allied health professionals in the cardiac operating room.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Louise Sun, MD, SM, FRCPC, FAHA

This study will explore the human factors such as gender, personality and sociodemographics, and non-technical skills such as teamwork, communication and burnout which play a critical role in surgical performance. Findings will help better understand team dynamics and design education and simulation materials to enhance the cardiac OR teamwork culture and patient outcomes. You will be asked questions about your experiences working in the cardiac OR. They survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. No identifying information will be collected. Participation is voluntary.

More details about the study are available here. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Louise Sun or Karanpreet Bath.

CSCS is an affiliate society of the