Surgeons during a hands-on cardiac surgery training session

Advanced surgical training — Aalst, Belgium

Hands-on trainingfor cardiac surgeons

by expert surgeon Dr. Frank Van Praet

Co-director Cardiovascular Center Aalst, BelgiumChair of Cardiac Surgery

Explore the courses Meet Dr. Van Praet

Years as cardiac surgeon & trainer: 30+; Years as cardiac surgeon & trainer
Participants max. per group course: 6; Participants max. per group course
Expert venues near Brussels: 2; Expert venues near Brussels
Years pioneering robotic surgery: 20+; Years pioneering robotic surgery

Truly hands-on

Cadaveric & porcine wet labs, live surgery observation

Advanced skills

Endoscopic and robotically assisted techniques

Tailored programs

One-to-one teaching or small expert groups

Training certificate

Certification provided upon completion

About the academy

Be ready to start your own cardiac program soon

AALST CARDIAC ACADEMY is a unique training center founded by Dr. Frank Van Praet. With truly hands-on courses he wants to prepare surgeons and their teams to be really ready to start or expand their own cardiac program.

Dr. Frank Van Praet has 30+ years of experience as cardiac surgeon and trainer. He is chair of cardiac surgery and co-director of the Cardiovascular Center AZORG Clinic Aalst, Belgium.

Discover the courses here.

Participants operating during a hands-on wet-lab session at Aalst Cardiac Academy

Dr. Frank Van Praet coaching a course participant

The programmes

Join the expert courses

Learn directly from expert surgeon Dr. Frank Van Praet. With these trainings he aims to transfer all his knowledge and hands-on skills step by step to the individual participant to make him or her truly ready for a successful cardiac program at their own departments.

These courses are intended for experienced cardiac surgeons.

Expert venues of the courses: AZORG Clinic Aalst & ORSI Academy. 30 – 45min drive from Brussels, BELGIUM

Hands-on Cadaveric Endoscopic MITRAL courses

With live case observation

3 days group course | Belgium

Hands-on Cadaveric Endoscopic MITRAL courses

Be ready to start your own endoscopic MV program soon. All the tips and tricks leading to a good endoscopic exposure of the mitral valve are key in this training. A full day of live surgery at the OLV Clinic Aalst followed by three hands-on sessions on human cadaveric & porcine heart models and two 'Live-in-a-box' videos should make this group course outstanding and unique.

Max. 6 participants per course to guarantee the personal coaching by Dr. Van Praet.

Scheduled dates

2025, June 18 – 202025, October 29 – 30

Registration fee 2025: € 8.512 excl. VAT per participant

3 lunches, 1 faculty dinner, drinks & transfers as well as all training materials are included.

Check availability & book Download the full program (PDF)

With live case observation

2 days one-to-one teaching | Belgium

Robotically assisted MIDCAB courses

This is a complete hands-on one-to-one training in robotically assisted MIDCAB using the da Vinci Surgical System allowing the cardiac surgeon and his team to start or improve this procedure back in their own hospitals. The course encompasses introductory theory and a live-in-a-box video as well as live surgery at the OLV Clinic, but is especially focusing on practice directly guided by Dr. Frank Van Praet. Since more than 20 years, Dr. Van Praet has been pioneering the use of a robot and the daVinci technology for coronary bypass surgery.

Interested in the course? Contact us.

Registration fee: € 14.900 excl. VAT per team of max. 4 participants.

Lunch & coffee breaks as well as all training materials are included.

Request more information Download the full program (PDF)

Upon request | Internationally available

Tailored Programs

Do you want to take the next step in cardiac surgery and need some guidance? Let's talk about the possibilities. Dr. Van Praet is happy to help you on your way, in Belgium or abroad.

Send a request

What participants say

Trusted by surgeons from across the world

Undoubtedly, the course is absolutely amazing. Dr. Van Praet explained all the critical steps of the endoscopic mitral technique, and, what is important, he focused on all important lifehacks which every surgeon would like to be familiar with in order to avoid failures and conduct this technically demanding operation smoothly. For me, this training is completely game-changing since…

Read the full review ↗

Dr. Snegirev Mikhail

Cardiac Surgeon, St. Petersburg

“You are a great teacher in cardiac surgery. I am very lucky because I learnt many things from you when I was working as fellow at the OLV hospital in Belgium.”

Read the full review ↗

Dr. Mehmet K.

Sr. Consultant Cardiac Surgeon

“Brilliant course to help to gain your confidence in minimally invasive mitral surgery. What I liked most of the MV course: – hands-on wetlab – beautiful demonstrated live cases with 3D view”

Participant of course Dec 2019

Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Southampton General Hospital

The faculty

On the leading edge of cardiac surgery and human patient care.

With more than 25 years of experience, Dr. Frank Van Praet is one of the leading specialists in adult cardiac surgery. As co-director of the cardiovascular center and chair of cardiac surgery at the AZORG Clinic in Aalst, Belgium, he and his team are continuously improving patient care.

Dr. Frank Van Praet

Expert cardiac surgeon & course director

Endoscopic Mitral Valve Surgery
Robot-Assisted Cardiac Surgery
Beating Heart Coronary Bypass Surgery
Complex Valve Surgery & Heart Failure

Learn more about Dr. Van Praet

The venues

Trained where surgical innovation happens

Amazing Training Facilities At

ORSI Academy

30min. drive from Brussels

Orsi Academy is a modern center for surgical innovation and expertise in minimal invasive surgery.

Learn more

Dr. Van Praet is associated with

Cardiovascular Center Aalst

AZORG, Aalst, Belgium

It is one of the major clinics in Belgium where patients can find top quality care, in a wide range of therapeutic areas.

The Cardiovascular Center Aalst is one of the leading centers for topline clinical patient care, research and innovation.

Cardiovascular Center Aalst Cardiac surgery at AZORG

Cardiovascular Center Aalst — training venue

2,500 employees and over 300 physicians

With more than 2,500 employees and over 300 physicians and other independent health professionals, the AZORG Clinic is the biggest employer in the region where it operates.

Centrally located in the heart of Europe

40' drive from Brussels
45' drive from Brussels Airport to Aalst
700 parking spaces
Modern facilities

Inside the courses

Impressions from past courses

Secure your place

Registration

These courses are organized by AALST CARDIAC ACADEMY led by Dr. Van Praet, in association with ORSI Academy, located in Belgium. To register to the course, please go to the Invivox platform: www.invivox.com For questions about your bookings and other practicalities, please contact ORSI: www.orsi-online.com

Practical questions about your booking? Contact ORSI Academy

Get in touch

Questions about a course?

Leave your message and Dr. Van Praet will respond as soon as possible — whether it concerns course content, tailored programs, or additional dates.

Email: info@frankvanpraet.com
Location: Moorselbaan 164, Aalst, 9300 Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium