Committees
Residents’ Committee gets ready for Barcelona The restrictions imposed by the Covid pandemic have been especially challenging for residents, with reduced opportunities for social interaction, exchange and training. But as we move into the post-pandemic era, the Residents’ Committee has been preparing new activities to promote training and education. The first of these will take place at the EACTS Annual Meeting in Barcelona in October – a programme of resident-specific sessions provide the perfect opportunity to catch up on the latest developments:
Applications are now open for the new Thoracic Surgery Foundation and Francis Fontan Fund International Travelling Fellowship. This new Fellowship offers young
• Friday 15 October, 1615 to 1745, Game of Thrones. Surgery? Intervention? Or conservative treatment? Young surgeons and cardiologists discuss their trickiest cases to find the optimal treatment for challenging patients. Join us and watch the Heart Team perform live on stage.
faculty surgeons an exciting opportunity to
• Saturday 16 October, 0830 to 1000, Nightmares in CT Surgery. An all-time classic in our programme – find out how experienced experts have solved their biggest nightmares in the OR.
financial support to surgeons from Europe
• Saturday 16 October, 1215 to 1445, Residents’ luncheon. Seize the opportunity to discuss issues with senior surgeons at lunch. Pre-registration is required.
travel internationally and learn from surgeons dedicated to the highest standards of cardiothoracic care. The Fellowship provides and North America to learn new techniques, adapt innovative technology, and foster collaboration among surgical investigators. To find out more, see page 18.
The official EACTS Residents’ Zone at the Annual Meeting is also a great opportunity to come and meet the residents in person, how you can stay in touch and learn about the latest activities, and how you can take part in shaping the future of CTS surgery in Europe.
All over the world, the pandemic has blown residents’ training off course. Four current residents share their experiences of having to adapt to the new and often challenging experiences that Covid-19 has thrown at them… Francesca D’Auria, MD PhD Cardiovascular Surgery Department, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy In Italy, the first real perception of the seriousness of the Covid pandemic came at the end of February in the north. The escalation of infection was spine-chilling. Life changed for us all. Our surgical department emptied as all resources were diverted to Covid departments. We saw our operating beds transformed in ICU beds. The training rotations in cardiac surgery, thoracic surgery, and vascular surgery were frozen. The growing number of patients and lack of doctors meant cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon trainees were called to cover shifts in Covid departments, sometimes outside their primary hospitals.
14
Webinars delivered training on Covid – fast echography diagnosis, treatment in the different stage of the disease, epidemiology, and data analysis. Surgical activities were limited to emergencies. The waiting lists are exploding. After the pandemic, the trainees’ surgical exposure is likely to soar. This year in Italy the medical degree has automatically become qualifying, with a license to practice without general training and examination. Outside of the strict surgical training, each of us has learned additional skills. In my free time I continued to train using my homemade wet lab (hen intestines and pig hearts for CABG). I also built a simulator for thoracoscopic operations. I suffer from operating room withdrawal! In hospital, social distancing and PPE have changed human relationships. Despite the distance, in my experience real friendship and collaboration bloomed. I think surgeons are among the first bulwarks in the defence of healthy human beings and this should never be overlooked. We are all in training and from this crisis we need to improve for our common future.
