EACTS News | December 2023

NEWS Issue 36 / December 2023

The quarterly publication for EACTS members

Issue 36 Highlights 4. Our new task force chairs set out their priorities

Aaron Ranasinghe Director of the EACTS Academy

8. An exciting new initiative to bring innovative ideas into practice 9. Highlights from the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting 12. Recognising excellence with EACTS award winners 16. Recipients of the 202324 Francis Fontan Fund Fellowship programme announced 17. Sharing the latest guidelines

Book your 2024 training and education courses with EACTS’ Academy

series on the fundamentals of congenital heart disease, open to residents in training, as the Academy broadens the range of courses on offer across the specialty.

EACTS Academy will be offering a record number of training opportunities in 2024 in response to the growing demand for education. Alongside well-established courses such as Case Corner, there are several new additions, including a webinar

To join the thousands of surgeons and other members of the medical community who have benefitted from EACTS Academy training in their careers, book your place now at www.eacts.org.

Many courses sell-out so we recommend early registration.

SEASON’S GREETINGS FROM EACTS

The popular course ‘The Surgical Aspects of Cardiopulmonary Transplantation’ is back on the Academy calendar next year; this course sold out very quickly in 2023, so early booking for 2024 is highly recommended. The Mechanical Circulatory Support Summit also returns, taking place in Prague in November.

Corporate

A NEW ERA The 37th EACTS Annual Meeting marked a new era for EACTS as renowned thoracic surgeon Franca Melfi became the first female President of EACTS.

Franca Melfi is Professor of Thoracic Surgery at the Medical School of the University of Pisa and Chair of the University’s Robotic Multidisciplinary Centre for Surgery – Thoracic MIS and Robotic Surgery and a pioneer in the field of robotic surgery. She performed the first robotic procedure in the world for the treatment of lung cancer in 2001.

It is a real honour and privilege to be the President of EACTS, particularly when I consider that I became a member in 1999 and at that time I didn’t expect to have this great honour!

Many years have passed and EACTS continues to maintain its status as an extremely valuable and prestigious scientific Association. Why do I say prestigious – because it is the most representative cardiothoracic Association worldwide with the mission to promote research and education that interacts strongly with other world-class sister Associations.

In addition, EACTS stands out from other surgical societies because it represents the most important thoracic surgical specialties, cardiac, thoracic and vascular. This is very important to me and one of the reasons why I joined EACTS. I spent two years in cardiac surgery as part of my residency and experienced first-hand the value of learning from other disciplines and the importance of establishing good relationships between specialties to achieve good clinical outcomes for patients.

The functions of the heart and lungs are so closely intertwined that it is hugely beneficial to share knowledge and skills across disciplines. EACTS provides the platform for the whole cardiothoracic community – not just cardiac or thoracic – but both and this I believe, is one of the Association’s great strengths. This is an important message which, in my role as President, I want to reinforce across the cardiothoracic community, and particularly amongst thoracic surgeons.

I am enthusiastic about the excellent work done by all the domains and committees. As a thoracic surgeon, I am thrilled by the work achieved by the Thoracic Disease Domain to strengthen our offer to thoracic surgeons and promote EACTS membership.

New task forces have been introduced in recent months including 2

the Thoracic Robotics Task Force, and we will continue to establish additional task forces to ensure we are addressing the changing face of thoracic surgery.

The home of innovation EACTS is already instrumental in supporting innovation and technological advancement in cardiothoracic surgery. This implies constant updating, which means new challenges, ongoing research, and training. Today we are increasingly talking about digital surgery that can promote a sort of democratisation of surgery and in some way impact care and gender equality. In this context, I believe that EACTS is the place in which innovation, education and quality of care should grow and spread globally.

During my tenure as President, I want to cement the Association’s reputation as the home of innovation, exploring aspects including Big Data, AI, 3D reconstructive surgery and robotic surgery.

Growing our relationships with industry can help us meet these goals, and in particular support surgeons early in their careers.

Digitalisation and innovation are not only critical to improving outcomes for patients but can also have a role in achieving greater gender equality across cardiothoracic surgery. As we continue to drive forward our innovation agenda it is also important to explore the positive impact of digitalisation for female surgeons in areas such as training and opportunities for telementoring.

I remain committed to empowering female surgeons and supporting the work of the Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Committee. We must do more to attract female medical students into cardiothoracic surgery. More than sixty per cent of medical students are women but only a small percentage are choosing a career in cardiothoracic surgery. In my role as President, I want to increase mentorship opportunities and provide more role models for female medical students to spread a positive message that will inspire the next generation of female surgeons.

In summary, I have four key goals for the year ahead: 1) reinforce EACTS as the home of innovation and technological progress and strengthen EACTS’ relationship with industry 2) increase the role of the EACTS Academy which is so important for members 3) support female leadership roles 4) promote EACTS membership – and particularly membership for thoracic surgeons

EACTS NEWS

Volkmar Falk Vice-President Volkmar Falk is the Medical Director and Director of the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery of the German Heart Center Charité, Berlin and Professor for Translational Cardiovascular Technologies at the ETH, Zurich.

He has held a number of different positions in EACTS including, most recently, as Chair of the New Technology Task Force.

Here, Volkmar sets out his goals as the new Vice-President of EACTS. EACTS is a very important organisation to me. I gave my first international presentation at an EACTS Annual Meeting over 30 years ago. It was a fairly quiet session held in a small room at the end of the programme, but this presentation not only provided a great platform to develop my career in cardiothoracic surgery but also stimulated my interest in EACTS as a professional “home base”.

I am grateful for the many opportunities I had to work with EACTS, which include serving on EACTS Council for many years and leading Techno-College, which has developed a fantastic reputation as a key element and driver of the Annual Meeting programme.

Becoming Vice-President of EACTS is certainly a highlight of my career and I look forward to the responsibilities of the role. It’s not just about representing the Association but also driving forward our mission and goals to serve the interests of our members in the best way possible.

Staying ahead of trends In my view there are some megatrends facing the cardiothoracic community that we must consider as an Association.

The shortage of qualified personnel will dramatically impact the way we do medicine on various levels. We have to adapt in order to address the massive demographic and cultural change ahead of us and provide an attractive working environment for our staff that can compete with other disciplines and professions.

Digital health is also changing the way we work and there is an opportunity for cardiothoracic surgery and EACTS to lead the way in this area. As part of this we must understand the principles of the digital revolution and how we integrate decision support systems into our daily practice. We have to focus on value based care and apply digital tools to ensure we capture outcomes that really matter to our patients along the patient journey.

An ambitious agenda EACTS already has strong bonds with surgical sister organisations such as the STS and AATS that shape the way we perform cardiothoracic surgery. Equally important is EACTS’ collaboration with Cardiology Societies, in particular the ESC. I strongly believe that we can only improve and advance cardiovascular care jointly with our fellow cardiologists. I would therefore like to explore how we can further strengthen our joint efforts to create future Guidelines together.

Our partnerships with industry are also very important. We must continue to build these relationships to maintain access to innovation for the benefit of our patients. Therefore, EACTS must engage continuously on critical issues such as the MDR, making it clear that EACTS has a strong voice.

We have a fantastic education programme and I am very grateful and thankful to the many volunteers who give their time and share their experience to develop and improve our Academy courses. We have to continue to lead the way in teaching and education. With this in mind, we must take advantage of all the available options in the digital age and explore new and more interactive formats.

Together, there is much we can achieve, and I look forward to playing an important role in the evolution of EACTS.

NEW OFFICERS AND COUNCILLORS We also welcome Florian Schoenhoff to EACTS’ Council, elected as Chair of the Vascular Disease Domain during the EACTS General Assembly at the Annual Meeting. In addition, Joe Bavaria was also elected as Treasurer, having previously served on the Council as International Councillor.

Florian Schoenhoff The domains are right at the core of what makes EACTS so special, so it is a great privilege to be nominated to become Chair of the Vascular Disease Domain.

The domains consist of active surgeons striving for excellence in patient care while at the same time advancing the field. The domains provide important educational activities to train the next generation of surgeons and help to keep surgeons already in practice ahead of new developments in the field.

While the vascular domain will continue its efforts on education, a focus of my tenure will be to help aortic surgeons create the evidence that is needed to continue our mission. I look forward to working with a group of diverse domain members, all accomplished surgeons with various backgrounds in open and endovascular aortic surgery, to advance the field and serve the Association and its members.

Join our task forces Be part of one of the Vascular Disease Domain’s associated task forces and play an instrumental role in shaping the future of cardiothoracic surgery.

We have vacancies on the Heritable Thoracic Aortic Disease, Aortic Dissection, Cerebral and Visceral Protection and Endovascular Aortic Repair task forces for EACTS members.

Apply here. More information can be found here.

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Task forces

DRIVING FORWARD THE EACTS MISSION In the September issue of EACTS News we announced new task force Chairs who, along with task force members, will support the work of the Acquired Cardiac Disease Domain by bringing their expert knowledge and experience across different specialties.

Here, some of the new Chairs share an overview of their aims and plans for their three-year tenure.

Jan Vojacek Chair of the Aortic Valve including Aortic Valve Repair Task Force It is great to lead and to be a part of such a dedicated group.

Our mission is to continue to provide expert support to the Acquired Cardiac Disease Domain in the field of aortic valve. This includes contributing to the scientific programme for the Annual Meeting and cooperating with the Academy programme on different educational activities including the Aortic Forum in 2025.

Another important activity of the task force is to participate in the development of guidelines and position papers. One of the major interests of our group is aortic valve repair and the Ross procedure. Both procedures have relatively weak support in the current European guidelines, and I believe that we should support these procedures by means of position papers.

Sigrid Sandner Chair of the Coronary Task Force It is a great honour to be the Chair of the Coronary Task Force and follow in the footsteps of my mentor, Mario Gaudino. He has done an incredible job of raising the profile of the task force and producing a fantastic CABG programme at the Annual Meeting year after year.

We will build on his success, creating high quality scientific content at the Annual Meeting and providing educational material for publications such as EJCTS featuring the latest research and updates on interesting topics and innovations in coronary surgery.

Nikolaos Bonaros Mitral and Tricuspid Valve Surgery Task Force The goal of the Mitral and Tricuspid Valve Surgery Task Force is to disseminate practical skills and knowledge in a digestible format to a broad group of cardiac surgeons. We provide a platform and strategies to make mitral and tricuspid valve repair available to all patients who need it by providing surgeons with a toolbox to work with.

Plans are already well underway with Academy courses taking place early next year and we would like to introduce more practical sessions at the Annual Meeting, rather than focusing solely on theory.

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Working with the Residents’ Committee is also a critical part of our plans, using their channels such as the Cut Above podcast and Case Corner, which is part of the Academy programme. It is important that we teach valve repair techniques at an early stage in a surgeon’s career. Valve repair normalises life expectancy and quality of life of valve patients. We need to help the young generation of surgeons to get acquainted and receive in-depth training for mitral and tricuspid repair long before the end of their Residency.

EACTS NEWS

Enrico Ferrari Chair of the Transcatheter Techniques Task Force I am delighted to hold this position which I believe is recognition from colleagues of my work developing transcatheter techniques.

Transcatheter techniques are very important for cardiac surgeons, but they are currently a niche part of our training. I would like to improve the visibility of transcatheter surgeons and demonstrate that this procedure should be part of our daily practice.

As a task force, we will work with the Academy programme to provide training courses in aortic and mitral transcatheter procedures. We also want to share the latest ideas and innovations in transcatheter techniques by increasing our presence in EACTS’ Journals and during the Annual Meeting.

Transcatheter technology is becoming more popular, so it is important that surgeons are aware of the latest developments and are able to practice these techniques.

Thorsten Hanke Chair of the Arrhythmia Task Force I am happy and humbled to become Chair of the Arrhythmia Task Force. My predecessor did a great job in the role, and I look forward to continuing his mission of raising awareness of the importance of treating atrial fibrillation (AF) – either with concomitant surgery or as a standalone procedure. More surgeons need to be aware of atrial fibrillation and be willing to treat this disease. Currently, only a small percentage of patients receive this type of treatment. Furthermore, we want to point out that there is more to the Arrhythmia task force than just AF. Here, treating ventricular arrhythmias, sinus node dysfunction, modulating the cardiac nervous system or explanting malfunctioning cardiac devices have their place in the armamentarium of electro surgery.

Our plans are well underway. As part of the Academy programme we recently hosted a webinar focused on a mitral valve case in a patient where persistent AF is presented and we are planning more courses soon. We are also focused on our programme at the next Annual Meeting and look forward to sharing an update soon.

EACTS is so grateful to the core QUIP Team, QUIP Committee and the Adult Cardiac Database Task Force for their dedication to the project and enthusiasm to enhance patient care and safety through collaboration and benchmarking.

Congratulations to...

Theo De By, former Managing Director of the EUROMACS Registry and Project Manager of the EACTS QUIP programme, who was presented with an award at the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the EACTS QUIP programme.

I thank everyone who has been working with me on QUIP for their structural cooperation. The tangible result is the EUROMACS registry, a reliable data source for MCS scientists and the Adult Cardiac Database which enables CTS units to define areas for improvement.

I have enjoyed working for EACTS to support the organisation and its members raising the bar.

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Committees

RESIDENTS’ COMMITTEE We are delighted to welcome the following new members to the Residents’ Committee.

Jules Olsthoorn

Thomas Bracco-Gartner

In addition, Claudia Cattapan and Gowthanan Santhirakumaran will join the Committee as observer members.

AWARD RESIDENTS’ CORNER AWARD WINNER Congratulations to Guido Ascione, winner of the inaugural Residents’ Corner award for his paper ‘The impact of mitral valve surgery on ventricular arrhythmias in patients with Barlow’s disease: preliminary results of a prospective study’ which was published in ICVTS. This new award, established by EACTS and the Residents’ Committee, recognises the important academic work of EACTS residents.

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Congratulations to the European champions of the CT Surgery Resident Showdown - Brianda Ripoll and Nabil Hussein from Castle Hill hospital in the UK. They will now go on to compete against the winning North American team at the STS Annual Meeting in 2024 where the CT Surgery World Champions will be crowned.

Nabil Hussein said, “The CTS Showdown is one of the main resident events at the Annual Meeting and probably the most entertaining. It’s a great opportunity for residents across the continent to network, share training experiences and make new friendships.

“This year the quality of the other teams was fantastic, and we are privileged to be representing EACTS residents on an international scale. We would highly recommend fellow residents to apply for future competition – it’s great fun!”

EACTS NEWS

ENGAGING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGEONS A new EACTS committee has been established to attract and engage the next generation of cardiothoracic surgeons.

The Pre-Training Committee, chaired by medical student Samuel Burton, will work with medical students and pretraining doctors to bring them into the specialty and introduce EACTS early in their careers.

The committee has already planned an exciting six-part webinar series starting in early January which will discuss the various pathways to cardiothoracic surgery across Europe and initiate discussions on emerging topics including the future of cardiothoracic surgery practice and developing technologies.

Samuel Burton, Chair of the Pre-Training Committee, said, “The Pre-Training Committee seeks to address the current lack of engagement in cardiothoracic surgery amongst medical students.

Through our work we want to reach those students who are

considering their next steps after medical school and offer insights into careers in cardiothoracic surgery. It is our aim to attract the most talented individuals from across Europe to become the future generation of cardiothoracic surgeons.”

The first Next Generation Webinar: How to Become a Resident in Cardiothoracic Surgery – The Dos and Don’ts takes place on 18 January at 17.30 – 18.30 CET.

The Pre-Training Committee seeks to address the current lack of engagement in cardiothoracic surgery amongst medical students”

Committees

WiCTS Committee The Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Committee (WiCTS) is looking for two new enthusiastic members to join its influential committee and help empower more women surgeons to take up leadership positions.

Committee members serve a three-year term.

Two observer member posts are also available to serve a one-year term. EACTS Membership is required for all applicants.

Candidates can apply directly via their EACTS Members’ Area

The Committee hosted a fascinating focus session at the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting with key speakers discussing the impact of belonging to high performance and transformational leadership in disruptive times.

Joining the WiCTS Committee is a great opportunity to be part of a dynamic group of female surgeons, motivated by the quest for equity and surgical excellence in their field.”

Sharon Ehrlich

Maroua Eid, WiCTS Committee member

Sabrina von Nessen

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Innovation

IGNITING INNOVATION Bringing innovative ideas into everyday practice A new investment fund is being established by EACTS to drive innovation in cardiothoracic surgery and help turn the most innovative ideas into real world applications that will improve clinical outcomes for patients. The new fund is an exciting new initiative that supports EACTS’ commitment to ignite innovation and inspire the next generation of cardiothoracic surgeons. More details about this programme will be released in 2024.

Earlier this year the inaugural EACTS Innovation Summit brought together world leaders from the surgical, research and associated academic specialties to discuss new developments and the latest thinking on all forms of scientific progress in cardiothoracic surgery.

Friedhelm Beyersdorf, Former EACTS President (2022), said, “It has long been my vision that as an organisation we double-down on our commitment to innovation so that as surgeons we can continue to improve outcomes for heart and lung patients. There

is already a lot of work looking into existing treatments and how to improve current techniques, but we are now aiming at the next level, how to develop new ideas and completely new concepts and make these part of everyday clinical practice.”

Read the Innovation Report.

It has long been my vision that as an organisation we double-down on our commitment to innovation so that as surgeons we can continue to improve outcomes for heart and lung patients.”

EACTS INNOVATION SUMMIT 18-20 APRIL 2024

PARIS, FRANCE

EACTS is proud to host the 2nd Innovation Summit, taking place in Paris from 18-20 April 2024. Led by Past Presidents, Friedhelm Beyersdorf and Mark Hazekamp, the Summit will bring together engineers, scientists and surgeons, as well as industry leaders and policy makers in a facilitated interactive working symposium to discuss new developments and the latest thinking on all forms of scientific progress that may help to improve the care for cardiothoracic surgical patients.

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This invitation-only event will centre around five key topics • The Future of Robotic Surgery.

• Heart Valve of the Future.

• Extracorporeal Circulation (CPB, ECMO, ECLS, hibernation and hypothermia).

• Artificial Intelligence for CT Surgery.

• A “Wildcard” category to open discussion on further innovations.

The programme will include a limited number of abstract submissions to enable the presentation of the very latest disruptive ideas from around the globe. Workshops will also be fundamental to next year’s event, supporting the exchange of ideas on the current state of cardiothoracic surgery and associated interventions, with the aim of exploring both immediate and future healthcare challenges and shaping the direction of the therapeutic interventions of tomorrow.

A FANTASTIC SHOWCASE OF THE LATEST SCIENCE AND INNOVATION The cardiothoracic community from across the globe came together in October to learn about the latest scientific advances in cardiothoracic surgery, hear from experts in their field and network with peers and colleagues alike.

Highlights from a packed four-day programme include:

THE VERY BEST IN LATE BREAKING SCIENCE

was shared in three dedicated sessions featuring the latest results and data from high impact studies, including an update from Professor Serruys on the FASTTRACK CABG trial.

INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGY were demonstrated to over 1,000 participants at TechnoCollege. Kicking off the Annual Meeting, Techno-College has an established reputation as the place to be to experience the latest techniques and innovations in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery.

DELEGATES WERE INSPIRED AND CHALLENGED BY THREE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS FOUR OF THE GIANTS OF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY SHARED THE EXPERIENCES that have shaped both their careers and those of their colleagues and brought about significant developments in their specialties.

In his Presidential Address Patrick Perier demonstrated the danger of a closed mind and the vital importance of breaking free from dogmas, and our honoured guest speaker, Professor Hounkpatin, Beninese Minister for Health, offered fascinating insights into the health challenges faced in Benin. In Saturday’s closing plenary session communications expert Dex Hunter-Torricke explored some of the most important technological trends of the coming years and how we can adapt to the future decade of disruption.

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LEAD AUTHORS DISCUSSED RECENTLY DEVELOPED GUIDELINES

– including the management of aortic disease, endocarditis and left main stem stenosis - and the impact of these new recommendations on daily practice.

INDUSTRY LEADERS SHARED THE LATEST NEW-TO-MARKET TECHNOLOGIES as part of the bustling exhibition and gave delegates the opportunity to explore and discuss new devices and approaches in highly practical industry Learning Labs and organised satellite symposia.

DELEGATES GAINED INVALUABLE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE

and learnt specialist techniques from experts as part of the EACTS Learning Lab.

EACTS TV OFFERED A UNIQUE VIEWING EXPERIENCE,

with global experts and key opinion leaders taking part in stimulating live debates and one-to-one interviews.

FOR MORE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 37TH EACTS ANNUAL MEETING Watch our highlights videos from each day of the Annual Meeting and read our highlights report. Learn more about some of the key sessions in EACTS Daily News.

Here’s what participants said about the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting

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Najla Sadat, Germany

Giuseppe Paone, Italy

“I really enjoyed meeting colleagues from different countries and having the opportunity to exchange research and discuss future projects.

My highlights include sessions on interventional minimally invasive surgery and robotic assisted surgery which are the future direction of cardiothoracic surgery.”

“This is the first time I have attended the EACTS Annual Meeting.

I found new inspiration and new ways to improve cardiac surgery across Europe and in my centre. One of the highlights of the meeting was attending the endoscopic mitral valve dry lab training. It was an opportunity to learn a new technique which is not available to learn in my home centre. The Annual Meeting is special. Sharing information from around the world is so important.”

EACTS NEWS

ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA

THE 38TH EACTS ANNUAL MEETING THE 38TH EACTS ANNUAL MEETING

NAVIGATING NAVIGATING

NEW HORIZONS NEW HORIZONS Innovate, Discover, Educate Innovate, Discover, Educate 9 - 12 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 4 · L I S B O N , P O R T U G A L

9 - 12 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 4 · L I S B O N , P O R T U G A L

SAVE THE DATE

Join us between 9-12 October 2024 for the 38th EACTS Annual Meeting

You can look forward to four days of top-tier learning and connecting as we bring together the cardiothoracic community from around the world in one place – the spectacular city of Lisbon.

The unmissable scientific programme will feature debates on the hot topics and controversies in cardiothoracic surgery as well as updates on breakthrough research and the latest clinical trials.

EACTS Members benefit from reduced registration fees for the EACTS Annual Meeting.

General abstract submission will open on 1 February 2024 Join our mailing list to receive updates about the 38th EACTS Annual Meeting, including venue information, registration details and the scientific programme.

Mark the 38th EACTS Annual Meeting in your 2024 calendar today. Join us on this exciting journey as we navigate new horizons in cardiothoracic surgery that will help to improve patient outcomes.

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RECOGNISING EXCELLENCE Congratulations to the winners of this year’s EACTS awards.

TECHNO-COLLEGE INNOVATION AWARD H. K. Kim, Seoul, Republic of Korea

YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD PRESIDENT’S CHOICE New for 2023, President’s Choice recognises the leading abstract presentations selected across all four EACTS domains.

Top Abstract in the Cardiac Field

Top Abstract in the Vascular Field

E. Pan, Boston, USA

S. Mosbahi, Philadelphia, USA

Top Abstract in the Congenital Field

Top Abstract in the Thoracic Field

M. Padalino, Padua, Italy

D. Brascia, Bari, Italy

This award recognises the best manuscripts on topics of clinical or experimental research in the fields of Thoracic Surgery, Cardiac Surgery and Congenital Heart Disease presented by young investigators at this year’s Annual Meeting.

Cardiac

Thoracic

J. Ren, Parkville, Australia

D. Brascia, Bari, Italy

Congenital

Hans G Borst Award for Thoracic Aortic Surgery

G. Comentale, Napoli, Italy

F. A. Kari, Munich, Germany *Award received by Jürgen Hörer, Chair of the Vascular Disease Domain

EACTS/STS AWARD Maria Nucera, Bern

EACTS / GHC – PASCaTS EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR RHEUMATIC HEART VALVE REPAIR AND AORTIC RECONSTRUCTION Mohammed Sanad, Mansoura et al.

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EACTS NEWS Raising Standards through Education and Training

FANTASTIC FEEDBACK FROM PARTICIPANTS COMMENTS FROM TH SUMMIT WHO ATTENDED THE 7 MCS ATTENDEES DID THIS YEAR’S MCS SUMMIT MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS?

HOW DO YOU RATE THIS YEAR’S SUMMIT?

96%

96%

SAID YES*

SAID EXCELLENT/GOOD*

“This is the most “Great that each important and session ended with valuable meeting in a long period for the field, questions/ worldwide!” discussion, lots of great points here.”

“Excellent programme and excellent speakers!”

*of those who completed the evaluation.

SAVE THE DATE 18-20 June, 2025, Prague 13

Next Generation Webinar: How to Become a Resident in Cardiothoracic Surgery – The Dos and Don’ts

18 January, virtual meeting

Case Corner – Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: When a simple case goes wrong

18 January, virtual meeting

Fundamentals in Congenital Heart Disease Webinar 1: Venous Anomalies and Septal Defects

24 January, virtual meeting

Fundamentals in Coronary Artery Disease

6 – 8 February, Windsor, UK

Aortic Dissection Webinar

15 February, virtual meeting

Challenging Cases in Robotic Thoracic Surgery

21 February, virtual meeting

Mitral Valve Repair

28-29 February, Windsor, UK

Next Generation Webinar: What the Future Holds in Cardiac Surgery

29 February, virtual meeting

Case Corner – Aortic valve replacement in the elderly when TAVI doesn’t fit

29 February, virtual meeting

Fundamentals in Congenital Heart Disease Webinar 2: Right & Left Lesions and Adult CHS

6 March, virtual meeting

Fundamentals in Aortic Surgery

14-16 March, Windsor, UK

Annuloplasty for Aortic Valve Repair: A practical approach

20-22 March, Paris, France

Next Generation Webinar: From ED to Surgery – How to Treat Coronary Artery Disease

21 March, virtual meeting

Case Corner – Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: When surgery is the last resort

21 March, virtual meeting

For the most up-to-date course details visit

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www.eacts.org

Courses and dates subject to change

2024

Upcoming courses

EACTS NEWS

Annuloplasty for aortic valve repair: A practical approach An EACTS technical course on aortic valve repair March 20-22, 2024 | Paris, France Emmanuel Lansac, Course Director; La Pitié Salpétrière Sorbonne University Hospital, Paris This level 3 course offers attendees a deep dive into a standardised and reproducible approach to aortic valve repair, including the rationale, physiological sizing and insertion techniques for incorporating an external aortic annuloplasty ring as part of any repair procedure.

The course will provide in-depth training of aortic valve repair from valve-sparing root replacement (for root aneurysms) to isolated aortic valve repair (for isolated aortic insufficiency. Repair techniques for tricuspid, bicuspid and unicuspid valves will be covered in step-by-step detail.

Finn Gustafsson

A combination of technical lectures combined with four full live surgeries and further pre-recorded live-in-a-box video sessions on different lesion sets will teach delegates how to repair different valve morphologies and aortic phenotypes.

Presentations from an esteemed international faculty will discuss echocardiographic assessment of the aortic valve and root, evidence for aortic valve repair, guidelines and indications, repair in aortic dissections, paediatric aortic valve repair, and alternatives to repair including the Ross procedure.

The programme will also include a ‘failure session’, in which attendees will discuss cases all the way from echo analysis to

surgical repair, learning how to identify predictors of repair failure as well as the bailout techniques available to them when such situations arise. Delegates will also gain insights into establishing a new aortic valve repair programme.

Wetlab training within the historical laboratory of anatomy in Paris, du Fer à Moulin will give delegates the opportunity to practice what they have learned on cadaveric hearts. An international faculty will supervise, support and provide hands-on teaching during this session.

This reflects the multi-disciplinary aspect of aortic valve repair and will therefore appeal to cardiac surgeons and echocardiographers (cardiologists and anaesthetists) who are willing to start, or are already part of, a valve-sparing aortic root replacement and aortic valve repair programme. Advanced residents interested in the field of valve repair are also welcomed.

The 2021 ESC/EACTS guidelines for heart valve disease recommend valve-sparing aortic root replacement with aortic root dilatation irrespective of the degree of AI (Class IB evidence), with aortic valve repair considered in selected patients. However, despite increasing evidence that aortic valve repair leads to better survival, fewer adverse valve-related events and better quality of life when compared to prosthetic valve replacement, uptake amongst surgeons is still low. This brings into question a lack of standardisation of aortic valve repair techniques. This course aims to tackle this problem by teaching a step-by-step standardised and reproducible technique to help surgeons and physicians interested in starting or improving an aortic valve repair programme.

We look forward to welcoming you to the 2024 EACTS/ STS/LACES Latin America Cardiovascular Surgery Conference which will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 5-7 December.

technical videos related to procedural expertise, trials and quality outcomes sessions, and interactive panel discussions. The final day of the Conference will conclude with a programme of ‘hands-on’ skills workshops.

The 5th EACTS/STS/LACES Latin American Cardiovascular Surgery Conference will feature a world-class, international faculty who will address and explore the latest developments and best practices in cardiovascular surgery. In addition to the invited lectures and keynote presentations, the programme will include original scientific abstracts in oral and e-Poster sessions,

Target Audience Cardiothoracic surgeons; Cardiovascular surgeons; Cardiologists; Anesthesiologists; Perfusionists, Physician assistants; Nurses and other health care professionals interested in the topic.

Get notified when registration opens

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Fellowships

New fellows announced We are pleased to announce the successful recipients of the 2023-24 Francis Fontan Fund Fellowship programme. Undertaking a fellowship is a unique experience and one of the benefits available to EACTS members.

This year, we had a fantastic response to the extended range of fellowships on offer.

We received over 210 applications for the 16 fellowship programmes available – the highest number of applications ever. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to submit an application for a fellowship; the interview panels have been particularly impressed with the high quality of the applications this year.

Congratulations to the following.

MSTCVS Quality and Outcomes Fellowship

Aortic Root and Valve Repair Fellowship

V.Demianenko

I.Asatiani, R.Birla, J.Caristo, G.Gradinariu

MSc Statistics for Clinical Trials at UCL Fellowship

Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass (OPCAB) in partnership with Medtronic Fellowship

B.Bekele, C. Gollmann-Tepeköylü

J.Chacko

Atrial Fibrillation Fellowship in partnership with AtriCure

MICS Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (MICS-CABG) Fellowship in partnership with Medtronic

S.Alagha, L.Rogers, B.Chiarello, M.Mattila, S.Negm, Y.Haqzad VATS Fellowship in General Thoracic Surgery S.Taber

S.Marinakis OPCAB Extended Fellowship in partnership with Medtronic M.Ozgur

Robotic Surgery – Cardiac in partnership with Medtronic Fellowship

TSF/FFF International Travelling Fellowship

R.Margaryan

M.Atkins D.Brascia

Robotic Surgery – Thoracic in partnership with Intuitive Fellowship

TSF/FFF International Travelling Fellowship in partnership with LACES

S.Fernandez

A.Jimenez, C.Sosa Vota

Thoracic & Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship

Ukrainian Support Fellowship

A.Sarigul, K.Chan Siang

M.Kryvetskyi, D.Sakevych

Adult Congenital Heart Disease Fellowship A.Monier Advanced Intensive Postoperative Care Fellowship M.Mittal 16

EACTS NEWS

Guidelines

A COMMITMENT TO TRUSTWORTHY, EVIDENCE-BASED GUIDELINES EACTS has an active and influential role to inform clinical practice by developing new evidence-based practice guidelines that support clinicians to deliver high-quality patient care. Currently, we are working on 22 guidelines, many in collaboration with different organisations globally.

Milan Milojevic, who formerly served as Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) Chair, has been appointed as CPG Director, bringing extensive, hands-on experience in all aspects of guideline development. The aim of Milan’s new role is to bolster the development of the programme pipeline, optimise operational processes, and provide critical support in overseeing the progression of individual projects, ensuring alignment with the CPG Committee’s strategic vision, which this role will help to shape. The role will also involve close collaboration with the CPG Chair in establishing collaborative partnerships and providing methodological support to guideline Task Forces.

The introduction of this role underscores EACTS’ commitment to advancing the clinical practice programme, promoting a harmonious blend of strategic foresight, collaborative partnerships, and dedicated project support.

Martin Czerny is the new Chair of the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) Committee. Bringing a wealth of research and guideline development experience to the role, Martin will lead the development of comprehensive and up-to-date evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, along with solidifying the underpinning methodology. As part of the CPG Chair role, Martin will guide the CPG Committee, aiming to strengthen the programme across the different areas of cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery.

Additionally, a key focus of his role will be to nurture relationships with other associations, partners, industry representatives, and other stakeholders. These relationships are crucial for the collaborative development, maintenance, and dissemination of clinical practice guidelines and other society documents. In his role, Martin will work in close liaison with the CPG Director, ensuring a synergistic approach to achieving the committee’s objectives.

Guidelines at the Annual Meeting The key points from recently developed guidelines and consensus statements, produced in collaboration with other societies and organisations or endorsed

by EACTS, were presented during the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting, with lead authors discussing the impact of these new recommendations on daily practice.

These important clinical practice documents incude: EACTS and ESTS guidelines for the surgical management of pure ground-glass opacities and part-solid nodules The first joint review of the pure ground-glass opacities focuses on the management required for nodules often encountered by respiratory physicians, radiologists and thoracic surgeons alike.

EACTS/EAPC Expert Consensus Document on Frailty Assessment in Cardiac Surgery In an ageing population of patients with heart disease, preinterventional frailty assessment for risk prediction is gaining relevance both in cardiac surgery and transcatheter valve interventions.

ERS/ESTS/ESTRO/ESR/ESTI/EFOMP statement on management of incidental findings from low dose CT screening for lung cancer Low dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening for lung cancer is being implemented in some European countries, but uncertainty remains around the amount of detail LDCT provides.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GUIDELINES PRESENTED AT THE 37TH EACTS ANNUAL MEETING HERE

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Guidelines

Simon Sündermann, Co-Chair of the interdisciplinary task force which developed the EACTS and EAPC position paper on the uniform definition of frailty as a risk factor prior to cardiac surgery and transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

People, more often in old age, are described as frail if they are no longer able to cope with everyday life independently due to a loss of physical capacity. Geriatric medicine defines frailty as a condition in which physical and mental weakness, susceptibility to falls and other factors limit everyday life. Frailty is also a risk factor when frail people require heart surgery and has been recognised in the medical literature as an important risk factor for increased mortality, particularly in heart surgery or catheter-based replacement of diseased aortic valves (TAVI).

Until now, there has been no consensus among the cardiology and cardiac surgery societies in Europe as to which measurement methods and values best define and evaluate frailty in these areas in a uniform manner.

To change this, an interdisciplinary task force was set up, with myself and my cardiology partner, Professor Josef Niebauer from the University of Salzburg, serving as Co-Chairs and supported by colleagues from cardiac surgery and cardiology, anaesthesiology, geriatrics and biostatistics.

The result of this interdisciplinary collaboration has now been presented as a consensus statement by EACTS and the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC) at the 37th Annual Meeting of the EACTS and published in both the

European Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery (EJCTS) and the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology (EJPC): A detailed review of the current state of research and the resulting multidisciplinary recommended procedures for the assessment of “frailty”.

People, more often in old age, are described as frail if they are no longer able to cope with everyday life independently due to a loss of physical capacity.”

The consensus statement paper defines criteria for determining frailty and its significance, for example in relation to the expected quality of life after cardiac surgery and TAVI, the occurrence of postoperative complications or patient mortality.

The consensus statement also contains recommendations on the implementation of preparatory therapies such as prehabilitation, which can contribute to the improved long-term condition of patients before surgery or TAVI. Read the Consensus Statement

Guidelines, consensus and position statements GLOBAL are instrumental documents that societies and systematically develop to improve WEBINAR ON associations healthcare decision making, quality and patient and foster the widespread adoption GUIDELINES outcomes of endorsed procedures and practices within the medical community.

A new ‘Global Webinar on Guidelines’, presented in partnership with the ASCVTS, AATS, ESTS, LACES, and STS, is now available to help cardiothoracic surgeons learn the necessary skills to interpret and develop trustworthy clinical practice guidelines that impact the specialty as well as gain an understanding of the expectations, processes, and navigation of conflicts that may emerge during the creation of these vital documents.

View the ’Global Webinar on Guidelines’

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EACTS NEWS

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Highlights from EJCTS, ICVTS and MMCTS Latest articles

Editor’s Choice

EJCTS

EJCTS

Revascularization strategies for multivessel coronary artery disease based on sex and age

European guidelines for the surgical management of pure ground-glass opacities and part-solid nodules: Task Force of the European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery and the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Samian Sulaiman, Lamia Harik, C Noel Bairey Merz et al

ICVTS Pain management after pneumothorax surgery: intercostal nerve block or thoracic epidural analgesia Louisa N Spaans, Quirine C A van Steenwijk, Adelina Seiranjan et al

Giuseppe Cardillo, René Horsleben Petersen, Sara Ricciardi, et al

MMCTS Tutorial

ICVTS

Surgical management of a prolonged air leak after lung volume reduction surgery: technical aspects

Durability of bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement in patients under the age of 60 years — 1-year follow-up from the prospective INDURE registry

Annalisa Barbarossa, Christelle M. Vandervelde, An-Lies Provoost et al

MMCTS Case Report Completely portal robotic Pancoast tumour resection with en bloc resection of the left upper lobe and chest wall

Bart Meuris, Jean-Christian Roussel, Michael A Borger et al

Gregor J. Kocher, Sarah Deckarm & Dominik Flury

TRIAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM EACTS ANNUAL MEETING 2023 Join our hosts Can Gollmann-Tepeköylü and Miia L Lehtinen for their late-breaking trials highlights presented at the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting in Vienna

MARKO TURINA AWARD FOR BEST MMCTS RESIDENTS’ TUTORIAL Tutorial title: Percutaneous tracheostomy using the Seldinger technique Authors: Ioana-Medeea Titu, George-Bucur Delaca, Florin Teterea, Sergiu-Adrian Ciulic & Emanuel Palade

EDITOR AWARDS EJCTS Associate Editor Award – Martin Czerny ICVTS Associate Editor Award – Georges Decker

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THE 38TH EACTS ANNUAL MEETING

NAVIGATING

NEW HORIZONS Innovate, Discover, Educate 9 - 12 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 4 · L I S B O N , P O R T U G A L Join us next year in Lisbon, Portugal for the 38th EACTS Annual Meeting. For 2024 you can expect robust debate and discussion led by global experts, the latest technological advances on display and an opportunity to share knowledge and socialise with your peers from around the world.

www.eacts.org