The AATS 106th Annual Meeting took place May 2–5, 2026, at McCormick Place in Chicago and highlighted major advances in adult cardiac surgery, structural heart interventions, congenital surgery, perioperative care, robotics, and artificial intelligence. 

Key News, Conclusions, and Predictions (15 Sentences)

1. 1. Cardiac surgery continues to move toward less invasive and hybrid procedures combining surgery with catheter-based technologies. 
2. 2. Robotic cardiac surgery was one of the most visible trends, especially for mitral valve repair and coronary bypass operations. 
3. 3. Surgeons reported growing use of artificial intelligence for perioperative monitoring, glucose control, and surgical planning. 
4. 4. Hybrid transcatheter and surgical aortic valve procedures are expected to become more common for complex elderly patients. 
5. 5. Several sessions focused on improving outcomes in acute aortic dissection and complex arch replacement surgery. 
6. 6. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols are becoming standard practice after cardiac surgery to reduce complications and shorten hospitalization. 
7. 7. Experts concluded that multidisciplinary “heart teams” remain essential for decision-making in structural heart disease.
8. 8. Surgeons emphasized that minimally invasive surgery must still maintain long-term durability and safety standards.
9. 9. Pediatric and congenital cardiac surgery sessions highlighted better survival of children with complex heart defects. 
10. 10. New regenerative valve technologies generated strong interest because they may eventually replace conventional prosthetic valves. 
11. 11. Many presentations showed increasing use of digital imaging, 3D planning, and simulation before surgery.
12. 12. Speakers predicted that data-driven personalized cardiac surgery will expand rapidly over the next decade.
13. 13. A growing shortage of trained cardiac surgeons was discussed as an important global healthcare challenge.
14. 14. Industry exhibitions demonstrated rapid innovation in heart valves, stent grafts, annuloplasty rings, and robotic systems. 
15. 15. Overall, the meeting concluded that the future of cardiac surgery will combine advanced technology, minimally invasive approaches, precision medicine, and collaborative care models. 

Author of this article

Borut Gersak, MD, PhD

Specialty: Cardiovascular Surgery

He is a Professor of Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, and is affiliated with the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the University Medical Center Ljubljana.
With over 35 years of experience in the field of cardiovascular medicine, he has authored and presented more than 500 peer-reviewed papers and conference presentations on a wide range of topics in cardiac surgery.
He is currently particularly active in the United States and Japan.

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