Welcome

Rania K. Abbasi, MD
Program Chair

It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome you to Denver, Colorado, for the 21st Annual Meeting of the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society (CCAS)!  After last year’s focus on our specialty’s journey over the past 20 years, this year we look to highlight the future: “Innovations and Future Directions in Congenital Cardiac Care.”  We will highlight the rapid advances in technology, therapeutics, and collaborative care models that continue to redefine our field.

We begin our meeting on Wednesday evening, March 11, with our increasingly popular Problem-Based Learning Discussions (PBLDs) and Roundtable Discussions—set in a relaxed wine-and-cheese format. These interactive sessions foster thoughtful dialogue and peer learning on complex clinical scenarios and contemporary topics.

On Thursday, March 12, we have a full day of engaging and expertly curated content.  Our first session, Digital Frontiers in CHD, will explore cutting-edge tools such as machine learning, AI ethics, and 3D modeling that are reshaping how we diagnose, plan, and manage congenital heart disease. Our next session will highlight various Novel Therapeutics, introducing innovations in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, interventional cardiology, and coagulation management—bringing new insights to perioperative care.

We then turn our focus to this year’s featured lesion: Pediatric Heart Transplantation, specifically Redefining the Limits of the Donor Pool.  In this deep dive, we’ll explore challenges in allocation, organ preservation, and look toward to the future with the Dolly D. Hansen Lecture on pediatric xenotransplantation by Dr. John David Cleveland.

The afternoon will feature the popular Poll of the Month Hot Topics debates, touching on who should care for Fontan patients and heart center economics. We will also explore Important Papers of the Year, focusing on novel topics including updates on remimazolam, anesthesia for aging CHD patients, and SGLT2 inhibitors in perioperative care.

For those interested in hands-on learning, our afternoon Workshops provide deeper dives into high-impact topics. We have some old favorites, and an exciting new addition involving virtual reality.

We conclude the day with Professor Poster Rounds and the CCAS reception—a wonderful chance to reconnect with colleagues and meet new members of our growing community.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to Program Co-chairs Manchula Navaratnam and Dheeraj Goswami, Program Shadow Mary Lyn Stein, and CCAS Education Chair, David Vener for their thoughtful guidance and tireless efforts in designing this exciting program.

Lastly, I encourage everyone to take advantage of all that Denver has to offer. From its stunning mountain views to its dynamic food and arts scene, the city provides a spectacular backdrop for learning, networking, and community.

Whether you’re here to connect, be inspired, or share your own innovations, we’re thrilled to have you with us. Let’s make CCAS 2026 an unforgettable step forward in our shared mission to advance congenital cardiac care.

See you in Denver!

2026 CCAS Annual Meeting Planning Committee

Rania K. Abbasi, MD (Chair)
Riley Hospital for Children/Indiana University School of Medicine

Manchula Navaratnam, MD (Co-chair)
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital/Stanford University School of Medicine

Dheeraj Goswami, MD (Co-chair)
Johns Hopkins Children’s Center/Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Mary Lyn Stein, MD  (Program Shadow)
Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School