MCI Honored for Cardiac Research

“President’s Choice Award” Presented to MCI Research Team at World’s Largest Cardiothoracic Surgery Congress

A research team from MCI | The Entrepreneurial School® has received the esteemed “President’s Choice Award” at the world’s largest conference for cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery organized by the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS). This accolade ranks among the highest scientific honors of the EACTS Annual Meeting and is reserved for outstanding research contributions.

The award-winning project was coordinated by Manuel Berger from the MCI Department of Medical & Health Technologies and conducted in close collaboration with the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Medical University of Innsbruck, led by Nikolaos Bonaros. The study involved researchers, clinicians, and MCI students, who contributed significantly through their master’s theses. The findings were presented at the 39^th EACTS Annual Meeting in Copenhagen during the elite “President’s Choice” session, which features the best abstracts of the international congress.

Innovative Approaches to Heart Valve Implantation

The recognized research focused on analyzing the flow characteristics of the biological heart valve prosthesis “Medtronic Avalus” using computational fluid dynamics. The objective was to identify optimal implantation configurations for patients by studying various tilt angles and valve sizes.

The findings revealed that implanting the valve at a 12-degree tilt and using one size larger than standard yielded the most favorable flow conditions. These insights could help reduce post-operative complications and significantly improve patient recovery outcomes in the future.

“Our goal at MCI is to meaningfully link teaching, research, and practice,” says Manuel Berger, researcher and lecturer at MCI. “Thanks to the close collaboration with the cardiac surgery team and the active involvement of our students, we were able to generate evidence-based insights and translate them into practical recommendations for surgical application.”

“The interdisciplinary cooperation with MCI was not only scientifically productive but also demonstrates how practice-oriented research can directly enhance surgical standards,” adds Nikolaos Bonaros, Deputy Director of Cardiac Surgery at Medical University of Innsbruck.

MCI Rector Andreas Altmann congratulates: “The combination of medical research and technological expertise holds tremendous potential for the future. I am truly delighted by this prestigious recognition and warmly congratulate the research team.”

About EACTS

The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) is the leading European professional society in the field of cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery. EACTS promotes innovation, scientific exchange, and novel surgical approaches, with the goal of improving patient care worldwide. Its annual conference gathers thousands of international experts and is considered one of the most important events in the field.