Ali Mashadi

This interview focuses on tracking burnout and recovery in surgical trainees. At the 2026 American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Annual Meeting, CTSNet JANS Editor Ali Mashadi, a medical student at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland—Bahrain, spoke with Dr. Lauren Barron, a cardiothoracic surgery Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Heart Institute, TX, USA, to discuss this important topic.

This article describes transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) vs surgical aortic valve implantation (SAVR), framed around age and lifetime treatment strategy. It argues that the choice between these procedures should be individualized rather than decided by age alone. The piece also draws on trial evidence showing broadly similar primary outcomes, while some results favor SAVR for death and disabling stroke.

This case demonstrated the repair of a recurrent left atrioventricular valve regurgitation via a repeat right axillary thoracotomy in a two-year-old girl who had previously undergone repair of a partial atrioventricular (AV) canal 10 months prior. The patient was positioned in a modified left lateral decubitus position, with the right side up and the right arm abducted above the shoulder. The same midaxillary skin incision utilized during the previous procedure was employed.