E116 Bill Kent on Minimally Invasive Techniques in Cardiac Surgery

Cold Steel: Canadian Journal of Surgery Podcast

This week we were joined by Dr. Bill Kent, a cardiac surgeon at the University of Calgary, to talk about minimally invasive techniques in cardiac surgery. We were curious to learn from him where MIS techniques fit in an era of rapid evolution in cardiac surgery and particularly with the advent of new catheter based techniques. Dr. Kent had a number of important insights into the introduction of new technologies in surgery and the challenges associated with trying something new.

Links:

1. Minimally invasive cardiac surgery and the importance of qualitative patient-centered metrics to guide innovations. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022522319304507?via%3Dihub

Bio:

Dr. William Kent is a cardiac surgeon whose practice focuses on valve surgery and mechanical circulatory support. A Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada and a member of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Kent is particularly interested in minimally invasive mitral valve repair and aortic valve surgery, including aortic valve and root repair as well as the Ross procedure.

Dr. Kent completed his undergraduate BA and MSc degrees in Neuroscience at Western University before obtaining his MD and FRCSC in General Surgery at Queen’s University. He began his Cardiac Surgery training at the University of Alberta and then continued his residency training at the University of Calgary. Dr. Kent then completed a Fellowship in complex valve surgery, transplant and mechanical circulatory support at Northwestern University in Chicago, before joining the Libin Cardiovascular Institute in 2013.

His current position is Clinical Assistant Professor in the Section of Cardiac Surgery. He leads the Minimally Invasive Valve Surgery Program and is Surgical Director of the Mechanical Circulatory Support Program.