DOMAIN UPDATES

Congenital Heart Disease Domain

Jürgen Hörer, Chair

One of the most important roles for members of the EACTS Domains and Task Forces is developing the scientific programme for the Annual Meeting. We want to ensure the programme excites and educates, addressing the most topical subjects in cardiothoracic surgery.

Thoracic Disease Domain

Members of the Congenital Heart Disease Domain recently came together at the EACTS programme meeting in Paris to agree the key sessions for the EACTS 37th Annual Meeting taking place in October. This includes addressing some new areas that we haven’t previously included in the programme such as ‘Borderline Left Ventricle’, ‘Hybrid for Hypoplastic left heart syndrome’ and an update on CCTGA (Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries) management.

We are also planning sessions that have been well-received at past meetings such as innovations in paediatric and congenital cardiac surgery, which will be an opportunity to learn more about the latest technology and techniques. We also plan to run a session with the Residents Committee on surgical training.

In addition to the EACTS Annual Meeting we are offering EACTS Academy courses aimed at both residents and more experienced surgeons. Earlier this month we ran the Fundamentals in Congenital Heart Disease, a virtual course designed for residents preparing for their EBCTS exams.

We are also running a level 3 course in Krakow later this year which will cover all aspects of first step single ventricle palliation. Don’t forget to sign up here for email updates about the latest EACTS Academy courses to find out more.

I’m pleased to announce the formation of two new task forces within the Thoracic Disease Domain, one on Solitary Pulmonary Nodules and the other dedicated to robotic thoracic surgery. These task forces will be increasingly busy over the next few months in terms of educational output amongst other projects, and I hope that more of our members, especially amongst the residents, will have the opportunity to get involved. In fact, the first event in the 2023 calendar year was a webinar last month delivered by the Robotic Task Force. The lectures were excellent, as was the subsequent discussion and online Q&A. The next webinar will be on Lung Volume Reduction Surgery on June 14th, that will include endobronchial and surgical strategies, and an MDT session.

The Thoracic Disease Domain has been busy following a very strong and successful programme at the 36th EACTS Annual Meeting in Milan last year. Our activity included a thoracic interactive webinar in December that involved a series of expert lectures and case presentations. This was very well received and I hope to repeat the format in the future.

A face-to-face Academy thoracic course is being held in Windsor next month from 17 – 19 April, with the option to attend online for those unable to travel. This is very much focused towards residents and follows the European Board syllabus.

Of course, there are lots of things going on behind the scenes, and I look forward to updating you over the next few months. First and foremost, preparations are already underway for this year’s Annual Meeting in Vienna in October, which will be here before you know it.

As always, I am incredibly grateful to my friends and colleagues within the Thoracic Domain whose hard work makes my role much easier.

Acquired Cardiac Disease Domain Filip Casselman,

The work of the Acquired Cardiac Disease Domain is supported by 14 task forces, bringing together experts in different specialties.