Dear Colleagues,

We cordially invite you to the Christmas Scientific Symposium of the Department for Cardiac and Thoracic Aortic Surgery. During this event, we will present the most important developments and highlights of the year 2025 in the fields of cardiac surgery and interventional therapy for structural heart valve diseases.

The programˈs special highlights include two keynote speeches: “Innovation Pathways in Cardiovascular Device Development” by Katharina Kiss and “Developing Integrated Cardiac Centers: A Vision for the Future”.

We look forward to welcoming you in person and concluding the academic year together with an engaging professional exchange.

Kind regards

Daniel Zimpfer

Department of Cardiac and Thoracic Aortic Surgery MedUni Vienna/University Hospital Vienn

Program

12.25 – 12.30 pm Welcome and Opening Remarks Daniel Zimpfer*

Session 1

Moderators: Marek Ehrlich*, Julia Dumfarth*

12.30 – 1.00 pm Keynote: Innovation Pathways in Cardiovascular Device Development Katharina Kiss, P&F GmbH, Medical Device Development

1.00 – 1.15 pm Transseptal Mitral Valve Replacement with the Edwards M3: Early Clinical Experience and Insights from the ENCIRCLE Trial Iuliana Coti*

1.15 – 1.30 pm Surgical Strategies to Reduce postoperative Atrial Fibrillation Sigrid Sandner*

1.30 – 1.45 pm Multivessel CABG without Sternotomy: Evolving Approaches in Minimally Invasive Revascularization Oleksandr Babliak, Lviv Medical University, Ukraine

1.45 – 2.15 pm Case-Based Heart Team Discussion Moderators: Sigrid Sandner*, Rayan Hemetsberger* Philipp Angleitner*, Bernhard Frey**, Julia Riebandt*, Oleksandr Babliak, Lviv Medical University Ukraine, Alexander Niessner, Wiener Gesundheitsverbund, Klinik Landstraße

2.15 – 2.30 pm Break

Session 2

Moderators: Wilfried Wisser*, Sigrid Sandner*

2.30 – 2.45 pm Hereditary Aortic Disease: Implications for Contemporary Patient Management Julia Dumfarth*

2.45 – 3.00 pm Aortic Surgery in 2025: Precision, Innovation, and Comprehensive Surgical Excellence Marek Ehrlich*

3.00 – 3.15 pm ESC/EACTS Heart Valve Guidelines 2025: The Expanding Role of Heart Teams and Heart Valve Centers Daniel Zimpfer*, Philipp Bartko*

3.15 – 3.30pm Mechanical Circulatory Support in 2025: Guideline Updates and Technological Innovation Pipeline Julia Riebandt*

3.30 – 4.00 pm Case-Based Heart Team Discussion Moderators: Christian Hengstenberg*, Daniel Zimpfer* Iuliana Coti*, Philipp Bartko**, Edda Tschernko, Department of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Medicine, MedUni Vienna/ University Hospital Vienna, Diana Bondermann, Wiener Gesundheitsverbund, Klinik Favoriten, Bernhard Haring, Wiener Gesundheitsverbund, Klinik Hietzing, Alexander Geppert, Wiener Gesundheitsverbund, Klinik Ottakring

4.00 – 4.30 pm Break

Session 3

Moderators: Paul Simon*, Edda Tschernko, Department of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Medicine, MedUni Vienna/ University Hospital Vienna

4.30 – 4.45 pm Robotic Cardiac Surgery: Current Capabilities and Future Outlook Wilfried Wisser*

4.45 – 5.00 pm Interdisciplinary Management of Cardiac Arrhythmias Stefan Stojković**, Emilio Osorio*

5.00 – 5.15 pm Research Highlights from the CD Laboratory Marcus Granegger*

5.15 – 5.30 pm Pacing and Lead Extractions in 2025 Cesar Khazen*

5.30 – 6.00 pm Keynote: Developing Integrated Cardiac Centers: A Vision for the Future Diana Bonderman, Wiener Gesundheitsverbund, Klinik Favoriten

_{* Department of Cardiac and Thoracic Aortic Surgery MedUni Vienna/University Hospital Vienna}

_{** Department of Medicine II, Clinical Division of Cardiology, MedUni Vienna/ University Hospital Vienna}