How do the people who fix hearts take care of their own? What advice do they wish everyone knew? And what breakthroughs are they most excited about? This Heart Month, St. Mike’s cardiac surgeons Dr. Bobby Yanagawa and Dr. Gianluigi Bisleri sit down for a candid conversation about heart health, prevention, and the donor-powered innovations that are rewriting the rulebook.
What’s your go-to heart-healthy snack?
Dr. Bisleri: Mostly raw nuts. As we know, nuts are a very healthy snack, so that would be my first suggestion. And also dates—nuts and dates—because they can help stop cravings and maintain your sugar levels.
What’s your top heart health tip?
Dr. Yanagawa: Exercise is so important. You know, I’m 49. I’m getting older. The body is slowing down. I’m always pushing exercise on my patients. So I say, now you’ve had your surgery, let’s get out there. It’s so important. And if I’m promoting it, I have to do it myself. So I’m really trying to exercise once a day—half an hour, 40 minutes. To model that for my patients, I’ve signed up for St. Mike’s 28 for 28 Heart Month Challenge, committing to 28 minutes of exercise every day in February to raise funds for St. Mike’s.
What’s the one thing you hope patients stop Googling?
Dr. Bisleri: I actually don’t mind the fact that they search and become a bit more familiar. They already have some understanding, and our role can be to make them more comfortable with the plans.
Dr. Yanagawa: The fact that patients are searching for their condition means they’re interested. They want to learn. And our website—from the Heart and Vascular Team at St. Michael’s Hospital—has some fantastic videos and information.
What makes you hopeful about heart care right now?
Dr. Yanagawa: The truth is, in medicine we used to work a lot in silos. We had nephrologists, brain doctors, cardiologists, and heart surgeons mostly working separately—sometimes even competing. But now, thanks to our Schroeder BRAIN&HEART Centre, those silos are breaking down, and we’re working more as multidisciplinary teams.
At St. Mike’s, we have heart teams for transcatheter surgery, heart teams for endocarditis, and heart teams for many complex conditions. This is something I’m very excited about, and I think it’s purely for the benefit of the patient.
What are you most grateful for?
Dr. Bisleri: First, I’m very grateful for the family I have. One of my main focuses is pushing innovation, especially in minimally invasive cardiac surgery. This requires not just a team of colleagues—from the OR nursing team to anesthesia and cardiology—but also the tools to make that work possible. None of this would be achievable without the incredible support of our donors. They’ve allowed us to reach remarkable milestones, including many firsts in Canada—and even firsts in the world.
Dr. Yanagawa: The community we serve, and the people who have stepped up to support our innovative work. We’re really proud to partner with our donors, our Foundation, and our hospital to lead first-in-Canada, and first-in-world work. We’re proud of what’s been achieved so far, and I’m confident that in the years ahead, we’ll see even more.
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