ISHLT2026: Industry Symposia - Thursday

Abbott

Transforming Trajectories: Redefining the Status Quo with HeartMate 3™ LVAD

Primary Core Therapy: Heart | Primary Practice Area: Cardiology

This session explores how advanced heart failure trajectories are being transformed, from decision pathways in younger HF patients to evolving outcomes in aging populations. Experts share real‑world perspectives on today’s heart failure landscape to challenge the status quo.

Moderator

Stavros Drakos, MD, PhD, FACC, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA

Program

Younger Patient Trajectories and Selection of Advanced HF Therapies Pathway

Stavros Drakos, MD, PhD, FACC, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA

Transforming Later‑Life Trajectories, Insights into LVAD Outcomes

Scott Silvestry, MD, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ USA

Global Trajectories, a European Perspective on LVAD Considerations

Linda Van Laake, MD, PhD, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands

CareDx

From Signal to Action: Can AlloSure Lung Inform Earlier Intervention?

Primary Core Therapy: Lung | Primary Practice Area: Pulmonology

Join CareDx for an interactive symposium where we ask you to participate in the case discussion with leaders in lung transplant.

Moderator

Steven Hays, MD, University of California San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco, CA USA

Speakers

Cynthia Gries, MD, MSc, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
Lorenzo Zaffiri, MD, PhD, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
Hannah Mannem, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA USA

CVRx

Barostim: Flipping the Parasympathetic Switch

Primary Core Therapy: Heart | Primary Practice Area: Cardiology

Barostim is a novel device therapy that works with GDMT to target the neurohormonal pathways responsible for heart failure progression and symptoms. In this symposium we will provide a comprehensive overview of Barostim therapy in heart failure, from mechanism of action and patient selection to real-world clinical implementation and surgical considerations. Expert faculty will review key evidence, patient selection, share strategies for building successful programs, and highlight the multidisciplinary role required for optimal outcomes. The session concludes with a look ahead at the CVRx emerging trial, BENEFIT-HF.

Moderator

Peter Eckman, MD, Allina Health - Abbott Northwestern, Minneapolis, MN USA

Program

Before You Flip the Switch: Understanding Barostim and Patient Selection

Peter Eckman, MD, Allina Health - Abbott Northwestern, Minneapolis, MN USA

Switching on Barostim: From Concept to Clinical Execution

Shelley Hall, MD, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX USA

The Moment of Activation: Barostim Implant and Program Impact; a Cardiac Surgeons Perspective

Matthew Danter, MD, University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS USA

The Next Flip: Emerging Trial BENEFIT-HF

Farooq Sheikh, MD, MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute / Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC USA

Lung Bioengineering

Lung Bioengineering Through The Eras – From Innovation to Standardization: What 1000 Ex Vivo Lung Perfusions Have Taught Us

Primary Core Therapy: Lung | Primary Practice Area: Pulmonology

Across 1,000 cases, EVLP has progressed through defining eras. In this session, we'll revisit the unique challenges, lessons, turning points, and data that shaped each stage of our journey.

Moderator

Kenneth McCurry, MD, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland OH USA

Program

Introduction

Kenneth McCurry, MD, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland OH USA

Don't Blame Me - DCD Utilization and Donor Selection

Joshua Chan, MD, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA

The 1 - Insights on Single Lung Transplants

Yoshiro Toyoda, MD, PhD, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA USA

You Belong With Me - Capitalizing on Intraoperative Declines

Mariana Gil-Barturen, MD, University of Miami, Miami, FL USA

Out of The Woods - Postoperative EVLP Experience

Marcelo Cypel, MD, University Health Network, Toronto, ON Canada

Wildest Dreams - Exploring the Next Era of Clinical Possibility with LBE

Sam Popa, Lung Bioengineering, Silver Spring, MD USA

Q&A

Paragonix Technologies

Quantifying Innovation: The Measurable Impact of Advanced Heart Preservation

Primary Core Therapy: Heart | Primary Practice Area: Cardiothoracic Surgery

This session brings together leading experts to review new data from the GUARDIAN-Heart Registry and examine how the SherpaPak Cardiac Transport System is being applied in real-world clinical settings. Through research-based discussion, speakers will highlight current approaches in advanced heart preservation and share practical insights shaping today’s transplant landscape.

Moderator

Nir Uriel, MD, New York Presbyterian, New York, NY USA

Program

Latest Insights in Advanced Hypothermic Preservation

Daniel Goldstein, MD, Montefiore, New York, NY USA

A New Model for Donor Expansion: Two-Track Procurement Approach

Jay Pal, MD, PhD, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA

The Role of Advanced Preservation Devices in Organ Preservation

David D'Alessandro, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA USA

TransMedics

Leading With Prospective Evidence: The New Paradigm in Organ Preservation

Primary Core Therapy: Heart | Primary Practice Area: Cardiothoracic Surgery

The session will discuss current state of the evidence in organ preservation, need for prospective level-1 evidence in the field and the ongoing ENHANCE and DENOVO clinical programs.

Moderators

Ramiro Fernandez, MD, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX USA
Jason Smith, MD, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA

Program

Comprehensive DCD Heart Transplant Outcomes

Sean Pinney, MD, Mount Sinai Morningside, New York, NY, USA

Fact vs Fiction: Quality of Evidence in DCD Heart Transplants

Farhan Zafar, MD, TransMedics, Andover, MA, USA

The Need for Prospective Multi-center Evidence in Lung Transplant Preservation

Ramiro Fernandez, MD, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

The ENHANCE and DENOVO Clinical Programs: Competitive Dynamic and Taking Control of the Controls

Waleed Hassanein, MD, TransMedics, Andover, MA USA