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Day 2 of STS 2025 kicked off with an inspiring morning at the Vivien T. Thomas Lecture, as award-winning photojournalist Ami Vitale shared her insights on the impactful role caregivers play. "With compassion, connection, and a determination to protect the vulnerable, even the smallest kindness can change the world."

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Yesterday, STS presented two prestigious awards: Shanda Blackmon, MD, received the 2025 STS Distinguished Service Award for her exceptional contributions to cardiothoracic surgery, while Mark Rodefeld, MD, was honored with the 2025 Earl Bakken Scientific Achievement Award for his groundbreaking contributions to the field and patient care.

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New to this year’s Annual Meeting, two live broadcasts of popular STS podcast shows hosted by CT surgeons—Thinking Thoracic and Same Surgeon, Different Light—explored engaging topics and sparked captivating discussions.  

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Late-breaking science has taken center stage throughout this year's Annual Meeting, including a presentation by Michael Bowdish, MD, on the impact of valve choice (mechanical vs. bioprosthetic) on long-term survival in patients under 60, using data from the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database. 

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Catch up on everything from day two in our video recap!

During today’s "2024 STS Compensation and Member Practice Survey Update" session, STS President Jennifer C. Romano, MD, MS, and Cherie Erkmen, MD, will lead a discussion on the key findings of the 2024 survey, which offers valuable insights into cardiothoracic surgeon compensation across specialties, career stages, and geographic regions.

The 2024 survey, which includes data from over 1,000 surgeons, reveals notable trends such as a 6% increase in compensation for cardiac surgeons, 9% for general thoracic surgeons, and 8% for congenital surgeons compared to 2023. It also reports a 13% female participation rate, surpassing the 11% female membership in STS, and shows participation by region aligning with the STS membership distribution.

For the second consecutive year, the survey, developed in partnership with Gallagher, explores new topics, including compensation for new physicians, employer ownership, and satisfaction with compensation. Gallagher ensures confidentiality by sharing only aggregated data to protect individual privacy.

In today’s 11:30 a.m. session, "Robotic Cardiac Surgery: The Future Is Now," Dr. Tedy Sawma will discuss how mitral regurgitation, increasingly common in aging populations, presents unique challenges for older patients considering surgical treatment options. While mitral valve repair remains an effective solution, the invasiveness of traditional open-heart surgery often discourages both patients and healthcare providers.

In the Outcomes of Robotic Mitral Valve Repair in Patients Older Than 65 Years presentation, study investigators will highlight findings on robotic mitral valve repair in older patients, comparing outcomes with those from traditional median sternotomy. The study evaluates both short-term and long-term outcomes to determine whether robotic surgery offers advantages in recovery, quality of life, long-term survival, and the need for future interventions.

Researchers analyzed data from a cardiovascular surgery database, tracking patients who underwent their first isolated mitral valve repair between 2010 and 2024. They compared the outcomes of robotic procedures with those of traditional median sternotomy surgeries, adjusting for factors like age, gender, and comorbidities.

Primary outcomes included long-term all-cause mortality and the need for reinterventions, while secondary outcomes focused on hospital recovery metrics such as blood transfusions, atrial fibrillation rates, and ICU stay durations.

The findings to be discussed include how robotic mitral valve repair offered short-term advantages over traditional surgery, such as reduced ICU and hospital stays, fewer blood transfusions, and lower rates of postoperative atrial fibrillation. However, no significant differences were observed in long-term survival or the need for future interventions. Both groups maintained excellent physical activity levels and quality of life over the years. These results suggest that robotic mitral valve repair is a viable option for older patients, providing enhanced short-term recovery without compromising long-term outcomes.