Minimally Invasive Heart

During the past weekend, on his birthday, my friend and outstanding anesthesia colleague, Dr. Thomas George, spent most of the night on call in the OR with us managing an urgent and complex case — grateful for you calm presence … and always with a smile!

Happy Birthday Thomas — and thank you for your commitment to patient care !!!

Truly energized after being part of our annual Canadian Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (MICS) Conference in Canmore 🇨🇦🏔️

This meeting continues to be a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with our growing MICS community, witness a thriving and mature minimally invasive ecosystem, and engage in open, constructive, and collegial dialogue. The atmosphere of camaraderie and willingness to share experiences—successes and challenges alike—remains one of the defining strengths of this conference.

I was particularly thrilled to share the implementation of a robotic approach within our already robust MICS program, developed together with Dan Burns. Seeing the level of interest and the thoughtful discussions around robotics in the Canadian context was incredibly encouraging and speaks to where our field is heading.

Equally exciting was seeing how our simulation platform for minimally invasive mitral surgery has now become a regular and integral component of the educational experience for trainees. Watching learners engage, practice, and refine complex skills in a safe and structured environment reinforces how essential simulation has become for the next generation of cardiac surgeons.

Looking forward to building on this momentum—together.

I was truly excited to support Dr. Gustavo Orellana Sampedro and the outstanding team at Clínica Kennedy in Ecuador as they successfully launched their minimally invasive mitral valve repair program.

From planning to ex*****on, this was an inspiring demonstration of commitment, teamwork, and technical excellence. Watching the team embrace advanced MICS techniques and deliver such an impressive outcome was incredibly rewarding — and a testament to their vision for elevating cardiac care in the region.

This collaboration reflects the broader mission we pursue at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto : sharing expertise internationally to expand access to cutting-edge mitral techniques and support the growth of high-quality MICS programs worldwide.

A heartfelt thank you for the warm hospitality — both in and out of the OR. These moments of partnership, learning, and friendship are what make global surgical collaboration so meaningful.

Looking forward to continued work together and to seeing this and many more programs in Latin America flourish for the benefit of patients in the region !!

HLVSMH
Unity Health Toronto
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
LACES - Latin American Association of Cardiac and Endovascular Surgery
St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation
TLN Media Group