MINIMALLY INVASIVE CARDIAC SURGERY – Experts Consensus Meeting & RAND/UCLA Approach is an advanced course focused on minimally invasive cardiac surgery, structured as an expert consensus meeting based on the RAND/UCLA methodology.
The course aims to systematically evaluate indications, surgical strategies, and clinical appropriateness in minimally invasive cardiac surgery through a structured process of evidence review, expert assessment, discussion, and re-voting.
The program includes an introduction to the RAND/UCLA method, presentation of expert responses across different consensus steps, and round table discussions, fostering evidence-based and multidisciplinary decision-making.

Echo-Surgery, organized within the MICS Academy, is an educational course focused on the role of echocardiography in the assessment and perioperative management of patients with valvular heart disease. The course promotes a multidisciplinary approach bringing together imagers, interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and cardiac anesthesiologists to discuss imaging strategies and treatment planning in cardiac surgery and structural heart disease.

The program is structured with morning theoretical sessions followed by afternoon hands-on activities guided by renowned national and international tutors. Key topics include aortic stenosis and regurgitation, tricuspid valve disease and endocarditis, combining lectures, case-based discussions and interactive audience sessions.

The practical component includes 2D/3D transesophageal echocardiography workshops for structural intervention planning, a wet-lab with pig heart dissection, and dedicated sessions correlating anatomical specimens with 3D echocardiographic imaging.