2nd Annual General and Scientific Conference OF THE GHANAIAN SOCIETY OF CARDIOVASCULAR AND THORACIC SURGEONS
PROGRAMME
Theme:Capacity Building for Sustainable Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Programmes in Ghana
THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2026
13:00-17:00 Pre-conference
Venue: UGMC Simulation Centre
Topic:
Ventricular Septal Repair - Prof. Frank Edwin
Vascular Anastomosis - Dr. Lily Wu
FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2026
Morning Session
Part I
Opening Ceremony
08:00-08:30 Arrival/Registration
08:30-08:35 Opening Prayer
08:35-08:55 Welcome Address - President GSCVTS
08:55-09:10 Musical Interlude
09:10-09:30 Fraternal Messages
09:30-10:10 Role of GMTF in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Disease Management - Administrator, GMTF
10:10-10:40 Address by the Guest of Honour - Minister of Health
10:40-10:45 Society Logo Design Award - Dr Ebenezer Antwi
10:45-11:00 Tea/Coffee Break
Part II
11:00-12:00 Dr Seth Bekoe Memorial Lecture
Profile of Dr. Seth Bekoe - President, GSCVTS
Introduction of Lecturer (Prof. Francis Fynn-Thompson) - Prof. Adamu Issaka
Building Sustainable Paediatric and Congenital Heart Programmes in Resource Limited Settings
12:00-12:15 Q & A
12:15-14:00 Lunch
Afternoon Session
Part I
Plenary Session
14:00-14:20 Robotic and Minimally Invasive CTS; Lessons for Building Sustainable Programmes in Resource Limited Settings - Dr. John deGraft-Johnson
14:20-14:40 AI Application in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery - Dr. Henry George Acquah
14:40-15:00 Congenital Catheterisation; The importance of collaboration with Cardiothoracic Surgeons - Prof. Darren Berman
15:00-15:20 Current Status of Ghanaian CVTS Database Project - President GSCVTS
15:20-16:00 The Role of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund in Cardiovascular/Thoracic Diseases Management - GMTF
16:00-16:30 Q & A
16:30-17:00 Tea/Coffee Break
MCs: Dr. Eseenam Agbeko & Dr Gordon Offei-Larbi
Part II
17:00-19:00 AGM (members of GSCVTS)
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2026
Morning Session
Scientific Session I (Congenital Heart and Vascular Diseases)
09:00-09:20 World Heart Report 2026 on Congenital Heart Disease - Prof Nana-Akyaa Yao
09:20-09:40 Frozen Elephant Trunk to Pedal Loop: Redefining the Boundaries of Endovascular Surgery - Dr. John deGraft-Johnson
09:40-09:50 Collaborative Capacity Building in Paediatric Cardiac Care; the experience of the Boston Children Hospital and the National Cardiothoracic Centre - Prof Nana-Akyaa Yao
09:50-10:00 Financing Congenital Heart Surgeries in Ghana: Experience at the National Cardiothoracic Centre (NCTC) - Dr. Innocent Adzamli
10:00-10:10 Concordance and overlap between peripheral artery disease and peripheral sensory neuropathy in diabetes - Dr. Joachim Amoako
10:10-10:20 Outcomes of Vascular Access Creation for Haemodialysis: A One-Year Single-Centre Retrospective Review - Dr. Makafui Yigah
10:20-10:30 Global Trends in Published Research of Aortic Disease Treatment: A Two-Decade Bibliometric Analysis (1994–2024) - Dr Kow Entsua-Mensah
10:30-10:40 Peripheral artery disease in West Africans with diabetes: a risk factor profile analysis - Dr. Joachim Amoako
10:40-10:50 Q & A
10:50-11:10 Coffee Break
Scientific Session II (Adult Cardiac/Others)
11:10-11:30 Rheumatic Mitral Valve Repair, State of the Art - Prof. Charles Yankah
11:30-11:40 Two Decades after the First Open Heart Surgery in Kumasi: The Story of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital - Prof Isaac Okyere
11:40-11:50 The First Implantation of the Novel Inspiris Resilia Aortic Valve in Africa: 7-year follow-up - Prof Isaac Okyere
11:50-12:00 Revolutionizing heart health: The role of robotics in modern cardiac surgery - Dr. John deGraft-Johnson
12:00-12:10 Simulation-Based Training for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis - Dr. Kow Entsua-Mensah
12:10-12:20 Early Outcomes of On-Pump Versus Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting at Merowe Heart Center - Dr. Mona Abdelgadeer Yahya Mohamed
12:20-12:30 Visualisation of a complex healthcare system: mapping vascular and trauma surgery services in Ghana - Dr. Joachim Amoako
12:30-12:40 Clinical Outcomes of Cardiothoracic Surgery in a West African Teaching Hospital - Prof Isaac Okyere
12:40-12:50 Q & A
12:50-14:00 Lunch
Afternoon session I
ICU/Perfusion/Nursing/Thoracic/Vascular/Others
14:00-14:10 Basics of ECMO - Mr. Saravanan Karunakaran
14:10-14:20 Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest & cerebral protection - Mr Saravanan Karunakaran
14:20-14:30 Assessment of nurses’ knowledge and practices of arterial blood gas analysis in the intensive care unit: a study at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana - Matilda Anyana
14:30-14:40 Retrospective Review of Bronchial Carcinoid Tumours managed at the national cardiothoracic centre, Ghana - Dr. Armando Correa
14:40-14:50 Traumatic right diaphragmatic Rupture in Ghana: The experience of Kumasi - Prof Isaac Okyere
14:50-15:00 Beyond Open Thoracotomy: VATS and Robotic Techniques for Complex Thoracic Oncology and Benign Disease (Lobectomy, Esophagectomy, PEH Repair, Thymectomy) - Dr. John deGraft-Johnson
15:00-15:10 Patterns and Outcomes of Tube Thoracostomy for Pleural Disease in Northern Ghana: A Prospective Observational Study Protocol - Dr. Andreana Awog-badek
15:10-15:20 Q & A
15:20-15:30 Coffee Break
15:30-15:40 Simulation-Based Chest Tube Insertion Training for Medical Officers and residents: A Pilot Study at Tamale Teaching Hospital - Prof. Adamu Issaka
15:40-15:50 Pericardiectomy for Constrictive Pericarditis in a resource constrained setting - Prof Isaac Okyere
15:50-16:00 Early Outcomes of On-Pump Versus Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting at Merowe Heart Center - Dr. Mona Abdelgadeer Yahya Mohamed
16:00-16:10 Clinicopathological Characteristics of Lung Cancer Patients at the National Cardiothoracic Centre, Korle Bu: a two-year retrospective review - Dr Joseph Kofi Amoah
16:10-16:20 Lower Limb Vein Reflux Patterns and Clinical Correlates in Ghana - Dr. Joachim Amoako
16:20- 16:30 Integrating Clinical health Psychology into cardiothoracic care in a tertiary facility: the case of the National Cardiothoracic Centre, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital - Mr. George Ekem-Ferguson
16:30- 16:40 Delayed Presentation of Boerhaave Syndrome Complicated by Esophagopleural Fistula with Spontaneous Closure: A Case Report - Prof Adamu Issaka
16:40- 16:50 Q & A
16:50-17:00 Closing Remarks