CABG Nightmares – Practical Solutions for Complex Cases
Recorded live at the EACTS Annual Meeting, this special episode explores the theme “Nightmares in CABG.” Our hosts are joined by Faisal Bakaeen, Thomas Gudbjartsson, and Miguel Sousa Uva for an open and practical discussion on the challenges of coronary surgery. The panel shares their approaches to complex scenarios—from fragile conduits and calcified aortas to dissected mammaries and “full metal jacket” targets—offering insight into preparation, technique, and team communication. Emphasis is placed on patient assessment, intraoperative decision-making, and the humility required to learn from complications. The conversation closes with reflections on mentorship, transparency, and the value of honest debriefing in shaping safer surgical practice.
Guest speakers:
Dr Faisal Bakaeen | Professor of Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio and the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Distinguished Chair in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. He also serves as the Surgical Director of the Coronary Revascularization Center. Prior to that, he was the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
Thomas Gudbjartsson | MD, PhD is a senior Cardiothoracic Surgeon at the Landspitali University Hospital in Reykjavik, Iceland and Professor of Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland
After receiving his medical degree in Iceland he continued his his training in Sweden, first in general surgery and then cardiothoracic surgery at Skane University hospital in Lund. He also did a clinical fellowship at the Cardiac Surgery of Brigham Women+s hospital in Boston. In 2005 he returned to Iceland where he has continued his scientific projects on the outcome of open cardiac surgery. He is the principal investigator of the NORCAAD study but the group has already published 18 scientific papers, including one on strokes after type A aortic dissection repair.
Miguel Sousa Uva | Dr Sousa Uva was born in Lisbon, Portugal and is a graduate of Grenoble University, France, where he obtained his medical degree
His residency was at Broussais Hospital and Fellowship at Marie Lannelongue Hospital, Paris, France
He was President of EACTS in 2017 and President of the Portuguese Society of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery 2022-2024 and Director of Cardiac Surgery Department, Hospital Santa Crux, Lisbon, Portugal, until 8/2025.
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