About the Course
Advanced Training Program in Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
Join Sky Medical Academy’s 3-day advanced clinical training program in minimally invasive cardiac surgery, led by Prof. Dr. Cengiz Köksal and faculty at Medipol Acıbadem District Hospital. The program offers focused clinical exposure to minimally invasive valve surgery, MIDCAB, mini-sternotomy aortic procedures, beating-heart valve surgery, and transapical off-pump mitral repair techniques.
Course Director
Prof. Cengiz Köksal, MD
Faculty
Prof. Cengiz Köksal, MD
Assoc. Prof. Deniz Günay, MD
Assoc. Prof. Emre Selçuk, MD
Program Coordinator
Muhsin Sözüdoğru
Venue
Medipol Acıbadem District Hospital, Istanbul - Turkey
Duration
3 Days
Program Overview
The Advanced Training Program in Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery is designed for cardiovascular surgeons and healthcare professionals seeking focused clinical exposure to contemporary minimally invasive cardiac surgical techniques.
During this 3-day program, participants will gain insight into patient selection, procedural planning, operative strategies, perioperative management, and complication prevention in minimally invasive cardiac surgery. The program combines expert-led educational sessions, case-based discussions, and clinical observation opportunities guided by Prof. Dr. Cengiz Köksal and faculty.
3-Day Program Topics
Over the course of the 3-day program, participants will explore the following topics:
Minimally invasive mitral valve repair and replacement
Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement via right anterior thoracotomy
Minimally invasive mitral valve replacement on a beating heart
Redo valve surgery via right thoracotomy on a beating heart
Minimally invasive tricuspid valve repair and replacement on a beating heart
Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting, MIDCAB
Mini-sternotomy ascending aortic aneurysm repair
Mini-sternotomy Bentall procedure
Transapical off-pump mitral valve repair on a beating heart
Neochord implantation
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this program, participants will be familiar with:
Core principles of minimally invasive cardiac surgery
Patient selection and preoperative evaluation
Minimally invasive valve surgery techniques
Beating-heart valve surgery concepts
Redo valve surgery strategies through right thoracotomy
MIDCAB and mini-sternotomy approaches
Transapical off-pump mitral valve repair and neochord implantation
Perioperative decision-making and complication management
Case Availability Note
Clinical cases may vary from day to day depending on patient availability, surgical scheduling, and clinical priorities.
Who Should Attend
This program is suitable for:
Cardiovascular surgeons
Cardiac surgery fellows
Vascular and cardiovascular surgery specialists
Physicians interested in minimally invasive cardiac procedures
Healthcare professionals involved in cardiac surgical programs
Your Instructor
Prof Cengiz Kçksal, MD - Cardiovascular Surgeon
Prof. Dr. CENGİZ KÖKSAL
Cardiovascular Surgeon
Prof. Dr. Cengiz Köksal was born in Afyon and completed his primary education there. He completed his secondary and high school education at Private Darüşşafaka High School, graduating first in his class. After graduating as a medical doctor from Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine in 1992, he began his residency in Cardiovascular Surgery at Istanbul University, Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine in the same year.
After completing his residency in 1998, he fulfilled his military service at Şırnak Military Hospital between 1999 and 2000. Between 2001 and 2007, he participated in the establishment of the cardiac surgery clinic at Süreyyapaşa Thoracic, Cardiovascular and Vascular Diseases Hospital, and in 2005 he received the title of Associate Professor in Cardiovascular Surgery.
In 2007, he began working at Kartal Koşuyolu High Specialization Training and Research Hospital. In 2009, he was appointed as Deputy Chief of the Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic at the same hospital. Prof. Dr. Cengiz Köksal became an education officer in 2011 and performed more than 2,000 open heart and vascular surgeries until 2017. Between 2016 and 2017, he served as the educational supervisor of the Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic at the same hospital.
In 2017, he was appointed as a Professor at Bezmialem Vakıf University, Faculty of Medicine. He currently serves as the Head of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Bezmialem Vakıf University, Faculty of Medicine.
Prof. Dr. Cengiz Köksal was awarded the EU Leonardo da Vinci scholarship in 2012 and worked in Portugal. In particular, he received training in mitral valve repair, mitral valve repair through a mini-incision, and mitral valve repair without opening the chest. For this purpose, he worked with and received training from leading experts in Israel, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.
He personally organizes the annual “Valve Repair Workshop” meetings with national and international participation. He is currently the only person in Turkey who provides training in mitral valve repair performed without stopping the heart and without connecting the patient to a heart-lung machine, and the only person authorized to use this technique. For this reason, he was selected and awarded as Doctor of the Year at the Avicenna 1000th Year Medical Awards in 2018.
Prof. Dr. Cengiz Köksal has 84 scientific articles published in international journals and 90 articles published in national journals. In addition, he has written 4 book chapters. Since 2011, he has given more than 60 lectures at national and international meetings on mitral valve repair and vascular diseases.
He also served as the President of the National Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society between 2016 and 2018.
He is currently the Chair of the Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Working Group of the Turkish Society of Cardiovascular Surgery.
He is married and has one child.
Areas of Interest
Mitral valve repair and valve replacement through a mini-incision
Mitral valve repair without stopping the heart and without connecting the patient to a heart-lung machine
Aortic valve surgeries through a mini-incision
Coronary bypass surgeries through a mini-incision
Carotid artery surgeries
Aesthetic varicose vein surgeries
Non-surgical treatment of leg vessel and aneurysm repairs