Dr. Frank Van Praet was an invited faculty member and international expert at the 3rd Brazil MICS — International Symposium on Minimally Invasive and Robotic Cardiovascular Surgery, held in Curitiba from 28 to 31 August 2026.
Dr. Frank Van Praet was invited as a faculty member and international expert at the 3rd Brazil MICS — International Symposium on Minimally Invasive and Robotic Cardiovascular Surgery, held in Curitiba, Brazil, from 28 to 31 August 2026.
The symposium offered a wonderful opportunity to exchange experiences, knowledge and insights with international colleagues and experts from across the field. Together with the parallel 1st Workshop of the ECS Club LATAM, the event reflected how minimally invasive and robot-assisted techniques are reshaping cardiovascular surgery around the world.
These approaches — from totally endoscopic procedures to robotic assistance — lie at the very heart of modern cardiac surgery. They allow surgeons to operate with greater precision, help patients recover faster, and continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in the operating room. It was inspiring to see the international community come together around this shared vision.
The programme included pre-symposium courses on 28 and 29 August at the Scolla Training Center, followed by the theoretical symposium on 30 and 31 August at the QOYA Hotel Curitiba. Registration details are available at 3brazilmics.scolla.com.br.
Personal reflections of Dr. Frank Van Praet
The 3rd Brazil Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery meeting (MICS) in Curitiba was another milestone in the expansion of visionary cardiac surgery in LATAM and in the whole world. Colleagues and dear friends Rodrigo Ribeiro and Milton Santoro succeeded in bringing together experts from the whole world to discuss and share very honestly in a very open format the experiences in MICS and Robotically assisted cardiac surgery.
Including a two days really hands-on cadaver course prior to the meeting certainly created an ever growing interest in improving or starting MICS programs.
The growing meeting of more than 400 participants was superbly organised and became really a landmark.
I am proud as invited expert to have shared my knowledge with colleagues. I personally also learned a lot, tips and tricks, so valuable in our surgeries.
Take home message: The growing adoption of MICS and role of robotic surgery in MICS is here to stay! Bright challenging future!
Follow along on social media via @scollaensino.
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