CryoLife Hosts Worldwide Surgical Congress for the Ross...(resident medical relations and education...)

"In children and young adults, or older, active patients, the Ross Procedure offers several advantages over other traditional aortic valve replacement options. The most important advantage is improved long-term survival," said Dr. Northrup. "However, the procedure requires very specific surgical expertise in order to achieve predictable, long-lasting results. The goal of this Summit is to provide the training necessary from acknowledged experts in the field. By doing so, we hope to expand the number of surgeons who can offer this procedure to their patients."

Additional distinguished cardiovascular surgeons on the Summit faculty include: Prof. Hans Sievers, M.D., FETCS, Klinik fur Herzchirugie, Luebeck, Germany; Emile A. Bacha, M.D., Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, Mass.; Paul Stelzer, M.D., Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York, N.Y.; Prof. John W. Brown, M.D., Indiana University, Indianapolis, Ind.; Hanneke Takkenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands; Michael F. Teodori, M.D., Phoenix Children's Hospital, Phoenix, Ariz.; Prof. Francisco da Costa, M.D., Santa Casa De Curitiba, Curitiba, Brazil; Prof. Neal Kon, M.D., Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC.: Prof. Ross Ungerleider, M.D., Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Ore.; and Giovanni Battista Luciani, M.D., University of Verona, Verona, Italy.

"The Ross Summit will create a unique atmosphere in which to engage in thought-provoking, interactive discussions about this ingenious surgical procedure with leading cardiovascular surgeons in the field," said Dr. Northrup. "The additional opportunity for hands-on valve implantation in a wet lab environment each day, led by Professors Yacoub and Sievers, offers an invaluable educational opportunity to these surgeons."

"The outstanding response we've
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