Issue 28 | December 2021 - EACTS News

NEWS Issue 28 / December 2021

The quarterly publication for EACTS members

Issue 28 highlights 2. Welcome to Friedhelm Beyersdorf, the new EACTS President 4. The Domain Chairs for 2022 – and an interview with Filip Casselman 6. Catching up with the work of the Committees 8. EACTS Academy Director Aaron Ranasinghe looks to the year ahead 12. The latest from the Adult Cardiac Database and EUROMACS

PLUS: We look back at

some of the highlights from the Annual Meeting

Friedhelm Beyersdorf

EACTS reconnects in Barcelona 2021 was a year for reconnecting as the world came to terms with the Covid pandemic that had disrupted so much of 2020.

In fact, ‘reconnecting’ was the theme of the 35th EACTS Annual Meeting in Barcelona in October. As one of the first major gatherings in the field of professional medicine, it was a chance for cardiothoracic surgeons to meet face-to-face once again, to seek out old friends, to establish new links, and to find out what everybody else has been working on.

What they found in the science and education programme did not disappoint. The mix of presentations, focus sessions, handson tutorials, training simulations and expert discussions was as intense, invigorating and innovative as ever. It set an incredibly high standard for the 36th EACTS Annual Meeting which will be in Milan next October – a date for the diary.

The EACTS Annual Meeting is also the traditional time of change in the organisation. As usual, the most visible display of this was the handover of the Presidential chain from Mark Hazekamp to Friedhelm Beyersdorf. On page 2, Friedhelm looks forward to his time as President and sets out his goals for EACTS in the world of cardiothoracic surgery. On page 14 you can read more about this year’s successful EACTS Annual Meeting.

We wish you all a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a happy and healthy New Year.

Association

Friedhelm Beyersdorf (left) and Mark Hazekamp

Welcome to the new EACTS President At the Annual Meeting Presidential Dinner in Barcelona, Mark Hazekamp passed on the Presidential chain to EACTS’ new President, Friedhelm Beyersdorf. Friedhelm is Medical Director at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Heart Center of the University Hospital Freiburg, Bad Krozingen.

He has been an EACTS Council member since 2002 and was its Editor-in-Chief from 2010 to 2020. He talks to EACTS News about his role as President and his goals for the coming year.

“I’m very proud that the EACTS membership has elected me as their President for the coming year.

“EACTS is the largest cardiothoracic society in Europe and among the three largest societies of its kind in the world. From its starting point in 1986, it has made tremendous progress. The EACTS Annual Meeting is one of the largest of its kind in the world and attracts thousands of participants.

“Cardiothoracic surgery is a huge field today, and I believe that my role is to be President for all EACTS members, for all the regions around the world, and for all the sub-specialties.

It is an honour, but it also comes with challenges.

“I would like to help and further develop all the sub-specialties because these are the core of EACTS. No single sub-specialty is more important than another, and I think this is at the heart of our strength. Since we have so many sub-specialties, we also

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have relationships with many sister societies. I want to improve and develop our relations with those sister societies. This includes all the other cardiothoracic surgery societies around the world, whether they are in East Europe, North, Middle and South America or Asia. I also want to strengthen our ties to scientific societies working in the same field, such as anaesthetists, and to pure research societies.

“I also think that it is important that we reach out to the allied health professionals. This means everybody from perfusionists to nurses and physiotherapists. There are many other professions who also care for our patients, and we need to have better contact with them and to work closer with them.

“We also need to build a better relationship with patient societies, so bodies such as the British Heart Foundation, the American Heart Association and others. Right now we are in contact with a worldwide patient-centred society and we are building new bonds between them and our Assocation.

“I have three key goals for the year ahead. The first goal is that we have to prove and demonstrate the results of our work for patients compared to alternative forms of treatment.

“This is already being done extensively. We will continue showing what cardiothoracic surgeons can do for patients, what the medical community can do, and point out the tremendous progress which has been made over the past years to improve the results of our therapy.

“There are advantages and disadvantages to every approach, and our job is to find the right solution for an individual patient. This has become more and more demanding because today there are so many options when in the past there was normally just the one.

“Having many options also means there are many discussions to have with patients, which could discourage them because they might get the impression that nobody really knows what’s happening. This is one of the reasons why we are trying to create better contact with patient societies. We must translate what we are saying into a language that patients can understand.

EACTS NEWS

“The second goal is to communicate that cardiothoracic surgery has extremely good results.

“Mitral valve repair techniques have a mortality rate of less than 1%, which is unbelievable. When congenital cardiac surgery started in the 1950s, mortality was at 60 to 70%. Today the mortality is less than 5% for all kinds of congenital heart defects and for some even less than 1%. It’s extremely safe. Coronary bypass surgery is safe. This is what we need to demonstrate to the world. We must make our good results public.

“The third goal, and a big role for the President, is to open more doors for innovation in cardiothoracic surgery.

“The success of cardiothoracic surgery rests on the fact that we now treat many diseases that could not be treated before.

We started with congenital cardiac surgery, then valve surgery, coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic surgery, transplantation, artificial hearts. The entire field of cardiothoracic surgery was built within two or three decades from zero to a point today where it is extremely safe.

“But we need to keep innovating, and as President I would like to foster research and innovation in all four Domains of our Association – acquired cardiac disease, congenital heart disease, thoracic disease, and vascular disease. Perhaps because we have been so successful in our field we have lost sight a little of the utmost importance of innovation?

“We still have many diseases that cannot be treated today.

For example, there is no treatment for atherosclerosis. We do know that smoking, diabetes, hypertension and high lipids

are risk factors, but we do not know what really causes it. We can perform bypasses and put in stents to help people, but the disease itself cannot be treated. This is just one example.

You could say that the ageing process is like a disease. The symptoms are very similar – joint pain, atherosclerosis, cancer, and neurologic problems. Though modern medicine and techniques have greatly increased the average life expectancy, we have not increased the absolute age. And yet I think there are techniques today that we can use to treat the diseases of ageing. As you can imagine, I think cardiothoracic surgery has a great role to play here.

“I’m very aware of the fact that one year is a short time to get anything done as President.

“While being President has its advantages, it also has its disadvantages! Why one year? Because we want to involve as many members as possible in the EACTS organisation, we want it to be something that really is open to everybody.

“I am preparing a proposal for the next executive meeting that covers all the three goals I would like to address. Of course, everything must go through this formal process, but I do hope that people will agree with me and support me.

“But I can see that there are some really very good things coming over the horizon during the next 12 months. We just have to be open to include these developments in our armamentarium. So I’m very positive about the future of EACTS and of cardiothoracic surgery in general. I think it looks great and I’m happy that I can be a big part of it.”

New Officers and Councillors elected The EACTS Council is the decision-making body of EACTS and is responsible for ensuring EACTS complies with its governing document, relevant legislation and best practice guidelines.

Councillors have an active role in providing strategic direction to EACTS and setting overall policy and targets. They serve a set term, normally up to three years. The following positions were announced in Barcelona: Vice President, Patrick Perier Secretary General Elect, Patrick Myers Thoracic Disease Domain Chair, Richard Milton Congenital Disease Domain Chair, Juergen Horer Councillor at large, H Jan Ankersmit International Councillor at large, Joe Bavaria Honorary Treasurer, Mark Whiteling EACTS thanks the following outgoing Officers and Councillors for their hard work and valued contribution: • Ruggero De Paulis • Lorenzo Galletti • Peter Licht • Richard Prager • Eric Roessner

On the Council I have found a group of colleagues who are extremely focused and who govern EACTS with unusual dedication.

Patrick Perier, Herz und Gefäss Klinik, Bad Neustadt

I am delighted to have been elected to the EACTS Council. I am looking forward to serving in my key competence as translational researcher based at a non-profit academic institution.

Jan Ankersmit, Medical University of Vienna

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Domains

NEW DOMAIN CHAIRS ANNOUNCED The EACTS Domain Chairs:

Our four Domains play an important role in driving forward the Association’s mission to advance education and promote research across the field of cardiothoracic surgery. Their work includes developing the scientific programme for the Annual Meeting.

We thank the former Domain Chairs for their hard work and dedication: Patrick Myers, Lorenzo Galletti and Eric Roessner. The new Chairs are Filip Casselman, Richard Milton, Juergen Horer and Konstantinos Tsagakis (the existing chair).

ACQUIRED CARDIAC DISEASE DOMAIN:

Filip Casselman

VASCULAR DISEASE DOMAIN:

Konstantinos Tsagakis

DOMAIN CHAIRS

THORACIC DISEASE DOMAIN:

Richard Milton

CONGENITAL DISEASE DOMAIN:

Juergen Horer

Filip Casselman Filip Casselman is the new Chair of the Acquired Cardiac Disease Domain and will join the EACTS Council from February 2022. Here, he looks ahead to taking up these two new roles and the challenges ahead.

“I have been involved with EACTS as a member for several years. First, I was a task force member, then I progressed to Chair of the Aortic Valve Task Force. I’ve been doing that for three or four years, and now I have been asked to become Chair of the Acquired Cardiac Disease Domain. I really enjoy being part of EACTS. It is such a good organisation. It is run by motivated people who are really looking out for the benefit of the Association. It can be a lot of work, but it is extremely intellectually satisfying.

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“When I look at the evolution of EACTS during the time that I have been a member, probably close to 10 years, I like the way it has developed. This is why I am so motivated to contribute. It’s becoming more than just a ‘European’ Association of Cardiothoracic Surgery and is starting to operate on a global level.

“I think that a key goal of everybody involved in EACTS should be to develop this further.

“One continent that is still a bit out of our scope is Africa. For example, I’ve relatively good contacts in South Africa and I know a few surgeons in northern and central Africa. Clearly there are big logistical and financial issues, but I think it would be such a positive move to involve them in our work.

“The fact that EACTS is flourishing is proof that the direction it has taken is a good one. I also think that we should aim for the highest standard possible from a scientific point of view, and to translate this not only into an appealing Annual Meeting, but also in the different courses that are being organised by the different task forces and other groups.

EACTS NEWS

“To keep going on this path, we need to continuously involve other people in what we are doing. We need to attract younger surgeons to become members of EACTS, and not just European surgeons but those from all around the world.

“The people on the Task Forces are scientifically very knowledgeable and often have the experience of putting an interesting programme together. Nevertheless, it can be a hard job and some people may do this for a few years and then back off. We also need to encourage the new people to be an active part of EACTS. That way we can continuously renew our task force members, bring in new blood and keep things fresh.

“Another thing I would like to see is more collaboration across the Domains. Some progress has been made here. A few topics overlap Domains and this year we have tried a few joint sessions. I think we could integrate a little bit better, after all we are one big family.

“The position of Chair of the Acquired Cardiac Disease Domain is a prestigious one. I’m very glad that people trust me to do that job, and I will do it to the best of my knowledge and capabilities. Having already been involved with the task forces means I know a little bit about what to expect. Being a member of the EACTS Council, however, is going to be totally new for me. I’m excited about it because I think that’s going to be very instructive for me to look at the business of EACTS from a different, more strategic point of view.

It can be a lot of work, but it is intellectually satisfying.

“What strikes me most, whether working with the Domains or the Council, is that everybody involved with EACTS is so motivated.”

Back to Basic Science

“For example, as scientists and surgeons we sometimes need to shop around for a particular supplier of samples or a particular technique, and we have all been in the situation where that has not worked out so well. Imagine if we had the ability to communicate with each other and ask for advice and if anybody has tried a certain supplier or tried a certain technique? This could be important with items such as specimens because they come at a premium cost. They are not something that you can easily replace off the shelf. With luck, this could help avoid those situations where you have spent a lot of money on a set of experiments and got a double whammy of negativity – you didn’t get the result you wanted and you’ve spent your budget.

The 35th EACTS Annual Meeting in Barcelona marked the new approach of integrating basic science into clinical presentations. Juan Grau, the Chair of the Basic Science Task Force, part of the Acquired Cardiac Disease Domain, discusses the ambitious goals of the taskforce and outlines why the new approach to basic science is important.

“From my point of view, the integration of basic science into the clinical presentations at the Annual Meeting went very well.

Of course, I could not attend every session, but the addition of the basic science made those I could attend very enjoyable.

Juan Grau

“Giving the scientific background, the numbers and data in a presentation puts the work in perspective. It gives objectivity to the clinical arguments and shows that what is being done makes sense. Once you have that objectivity, it becomes unarguable. People might have their opinion about things, but they can’t argue with the science.

“We have created a task force with nine members. Some of them were at the Annual Meeting, so we were able to meet in person, and the others joined virtually. This community of people is now talking about a range issues.

“The first is that we are seeking to give the task force a new name that more appropriately conveys what we are trying to do, which is a full integration of basic research and clinical science.

“The second is the possibility of creating an online forum for members to communicate via EACTS. The idea is to create an online platform that will be an informal gathering place for scientists, where they can exchange research findings and ideas.

“Why might we need a gathering place? For several reasons.

EACTS News will talk with another of the Domain Chairs in the next issue.

“It could also connect research projects. Researchers would be able to see what other researchers are doing. One idea is to list laboratories around the world and the projects they are currently working on. This could facilitate the ability of personnel to transfer their skills from project to project.

The integration of basic science into the clinical presentations went very well.

“Such a platform would also allow virtual meetings and conferences that would be effective and inexpensive. We could have researchers from Berlin, Vienna, London and Paris all gathering into a virtual space and talking about the projects that they’re working on.

“The final potential initiative that came out of the discussions at the Annual Meeting is to create a writing practice course.

Surgeons and scientists haven’t necessarily been taught how to present their work. Some are good at it, but some aren’t. This course would help people who are writing articles, presenting their work or preparing grant applications. It would focus on giving the audience exactly what they need.

“Related to this, we’re also looking at helping members to understand the different types and tiers of funding for their work, and how to apply for that funding.”

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Committees

COMMITTEES BOUNCE BACK IN 2021 The EACTS Committees are member-led groups that work across the four EACTS Domains to support the drive to advance education and promote research. The Committees are active across a range of projects and meetings.

The five Committees are: • Clinical Guidelines • Education • Quality Improvement and Databases • Residents • Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery As with the rest of the professional healthcare world, 2021 has been another year of challenges for all the EACTS Committees in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. But thanks to the commitment of everybody involved, who volunteer their time and expertise, the work goes on. More on the latest news on the Education side and the EACTS Academy can be found on page 8 while an update on the key Quality Improvement and Databases projects is on page 12.

The Residents’ Committee steps forward to contribute to the 35th EACTS Annual Meeting The mission statement of the Residents’ Committee says that it is “devoted to represent the views and interests of European residents, identify issues in training and facilitate education”.

But the past couple of years have hit the committee especially hard, disrupting the training and education of cardiothoracic residents everywhere.

Nevertheless, normal business was restored to a degree during 2021, which saw the committee working hard to make a telling contribution at the Annual Meeting in Barcelona, as Can Gollmann-Tepeköylü, Chair of the Residents’ Committee, reports: “It was refreshing to see the cardiothoracic surgery community come together again in a face-to-face gathering at the EACTS Annual Meeting in Barcelona.

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Residents at the Annual Meeting

“The scientific programme of the Annual Meeting was filled with fascinating sessions, workshops, and discussions. The EACTS Residents’ Committee worked hard to organise a number of absorbing and well-attended sessions that focused on resident and trainee members.

“Once again we hosted the highly anticipated and engrossing ‘Game of Thrones’ session. An entertaining heart team consisting of residents and experienced surgeons alongside young local cardiologists discussed the challenging cases that were presented to them during the past year. On a similar theme, we also ran the Nightmares in Cardiothoracic Surgery session where experienced consultants shared their most difficult cases. Always a hit during the EACTS Annual Meeting this session did not disappoint and importantly gave the resident attendees an excellent perspective on how to approach and deal with challenging cases.

“Across Europe and the rest of the world, we have all experienced the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our training. So it was great to have the opportunity once again to sit down with experts in the amicable environment of the Residents’ luncheon and to discuss with them professional issues of all sorts and to learn from their experiences. Every seat was taken, and we are grateful to all those who attended and supported this session.

“One of the most important aspects of the EACTS Annual Meeting is the ability to meet with colleagues, make new friends, and network, which is something we have missed a great deal over the past 18 months. This meant it was more enjoyable than ever to meet other EACTS resident members in Barcelona, and

EACTS NEWS

out of these great discussions came a range of suggestions on how the committee might improve and represent its cohort.

“We were also delighted to welcome four new members to the Residents’ Committee – Fabian Dörr, Maroua Eid, Leo Pölzl, and Felix Nägele. A high number of excellent applications were received for these roles, and we are excited by the ideas and energy that Fabian, Maroua, Leo and Felix will bring to our work.

“Among the major aims of the EACTS Residents’ Committee is bringing residents together and supporting the residents’ network across Europe. In view of this, we encourage you all to keep an eye for email updates from the Residents’ newsletter.

We have several interesting developments in the pipeline.

“Finally, we thank you all for your support and ideas on how we can improve resident representation across the continent. We are a transparent, approachable team so we encourage you to contact us via the Residents’ Committee page on the EACTS website. We are looking forward to seeing all the residents back together at the Annual Meeting in Milan next year.”

Among the major aims of the EACTS Residents’ Committee is bringing residents together and supporting the residents’ network across Europe.

The Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Committee was also present at the Annual Meeting this year, holding its own scientific session and hosting a lunch.

Throughout 2021 the committee continued to fulfill its mission to inspire more women surgeons to realise their educational and career ambitions by promoting diversity and equality within EACTS and the wider field, and using research, training and mentoring to help more women establish themselves in cardiothoracic surgery.

Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery – your opportunity to join the committee We are pleased to invite expressions of interest from women training in cardiothoracic surgery to join the EACTS Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Committee and help support the development of female cardiothoracic surgeons.

This is an exciting opportunity to represent all the female trainee members of EACTS, and to support their continuing professional development through education, mentorship, Fellowships and networking.

The appointed members will help promote gender equality and maintain a contemporary database of all female trainees and help develop the mentorship programme by encouraging participation. The appointed members will communicate with all the women in training and disseminate the learning opportunities made available by EACTS. We are looking for two dynamic women in training to join the EACTS Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Committee.

Applications in the form of a brief CV and a statement of 500 words explaining how you can contribute to the work of the committee should be sent to womenscommittee@eacts.co.uk The closing date for applications is 31 December 2021.

Our main objective is to make the Association an inclusive one where every talent can flourish. We want to empower the female surgeons and to work with the Association itself so that it’s really inclusive. What for me is important is that we approach the topic with a very positive attitude. We are proud to be women and to be a role model for the next generation.

Jolanda Kluin, Chair of the EACTS Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Committee

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Academy

TAKING CARE OF THE FUNDAMENTALS Aaron Ranasinghe is a Consultant Cardiac Surgeon and Transplant Surgeon at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust in the UK. He has been a member of EACTS since he was a resident, and for the past year has been the EACTS Academy Director. As part of this, he takes a lead role on the Fundamentals courses, which are the building blocks for residents looking ahead to the European Board of Cardiothoracic Surgery exams.

How has the Academy coped during the pandemic?

What can you us about the plans for 2022?

“I ran courses prior to my role with EACTS but of course those were all pre-pandemic, so this has been very different. I took on the role right in the middle of the pandemic when there was absolutely no chance of running any face-to-face courses, so we went purely online, which was a challenge. Online courses can be very difficult in terms of setting the right levels of interactivity and getting the faculty and the delegates to engage with each other when they are used to working face to face.

“We are planning face-to-face courses. The Annual Meeting in Barcelona attracted more than 2000 participants, which was very successful, and I think people are back on board with the idea of meeting in-person. The Fundamentals course in March (Coronary Artery Surgery) is planned to be a face-to-face format in Windsor, subject to any new Covid restrictions.”

“We’ve also had to revamp the courses. Previously some of them would run for almost a week and they’d have wet labs attached to them. With an online format that is much more difficult to do.

People’s ability to concentrate on screen for long periods is much diminished. The interesting thing is that we found different arms of the specialty have approached it in different ways. Some have stuck with a more traditional format, while others have gone for hour-long webinar-type approaches.

“I think that there is no one size fits all.”

Overall, has the online approach worked?

“Yes, the feedback from the courses has exceeded expectations considering the constraints we’ve been under. The vast majority of comments from delegates have been very positive but at the same time a lot of them are asking when we’re going to be back up and running face-to-face courses.”

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How important are the Academy courses to the overall business of EACTS? “EACTS supports its membership in several ways and education is a paramount part of that. We have a commitment to our younger and less experienced members to bring them on, and to provide them with the necessary building blocks so that they can progress their careers as cardiothoracic surgeons. These courses are vital to the ethos of EACTS.”

Has the online format changed the content of the courses in any way?

“One of the good things about the pandemic and the online courses is that we have been able to tap into a wider faculty. Rather than people having to travel to contribute, they have been able to do it from the comfort of their office or even their home. We’ve had access to people who are world leaders and who would previously may have been too busy. But they also have a commitment to education, and the fact that they have given up their time for the EACTS Academy is fantastic. Now that we’ve got them on board, we hope that they will continue to engage in a face-to-face environment.”

EACTS NEWS

Beyond the Fundamentals courses, what else does the Academy offer members?

“I think that all the EACTS courses are very good. A lot of thought and planning goes into them. There is a wealth of world-leading experience in cardiothoracic surgery across Europe that we have access to.

“An exciting development is that we have rebranded the EACTS Academy and the educational content. One of our key messages is ’the right course for the right person at the right time’, and we’ve been much clearer in our branding about who should come to which course.

“For example, a Fundamentals course is branded at level one. That means the faculty and the delegates know that the syllabus is aimed at residents. Then comes level two, which is for those residents who are taking up a consultant or attending position or are in the early years of their consultant or attending position. Then level three is for those people who’ve been consultants or attendings for some years and who maybe want to branch out or start a new technology within their unit.

“This clear branding hopefully means people know exactly what level of course they should be aiming for.”

How do you see the format of Academy courses developing over the next few years?

“When we look at the feedback from the courses, some people want face-to-face, some want online, and some are asking for hybrid. We’re hoping to offer all those formats. And some courses will naturally work better in one format rather than another.

“I don’t think online is suddenly dead. Online courses can be just as convenient for delegates as for the faculty. We need to remember that travel across the continent remains difficult and paying for airfares and hotel fees can be difficult for trainees, especially those who come from less affluent parts of Europe. We must also be mindful to keep the EACTS Academy open to every member.

“I should also mention the tremendous support that I get from the administration team at EACTS, working behind the scenes and making sure things happen. Without that support, we would not be able to deliver any of the courses.”

I should also mention the tremendous support that I get from the administration team at EACTS, working behind the scenes and making sure things happen. Without that support, we would not be able to deliver any of the courses.

STEP INTO A WORLD OF SURGICAL TRAINING AND CLIMB THE ACADEMY SKILLS LADDER

WHAT’S YOUR LEVEL? Level 1

for residents in training with the course content closely allied to the EBCTS syllabus

Level 2

for residents in the final years of training and for surgeons at the beginning of independent practice

Level 3

for surgeons established in independent practice.

Conferences/summits

The EACTS Residents’ Committee bring you the

EACTS CASE CORNER

A complex case is presented on a different topic in each hour-long online Case Corner session. All symptoms, patient characteristics and test results are described in detail, the right treatment decision is discussed along with the supporting scientific evidence, then the solution and clinical course of the case is revealed.

The aim is to create a platform for discussion and exchange for residents and to promote clinical skills in diagnosis and decision-making in complex cases – it’s a great opportunity to debate complex cases with fellow residents and a panel of renown specialists.

For more details and to register, click here.

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Academy Raising Standards through Education and Training

Upcoming courses Aortic Dissection Webinar

3 February, Online

EACTS Case Corner: Coronary Artery Disease

17 February, Online

EACTS Case Corner: Mitral Valve Repair

24 February, Online

Fundamentals in Cardiac Surgery: Coronary Artery Disease

2 - 4 March, Windsor, UK

Mitral Valve Repair

8 - 9 March, Windsor, UK

Fundamentals in Congenital Heart Disease

15 - 18 March, Windsor, UK

Introduction to Aortic Surgery

24 - 26 March, Windsor, UK

EACTS Case Corner: Thoracic Surgery

31 March, Online

EACTS Aortic Valve Repair Summit

6th EACTS Mechanical Circulatory Support Summit

2 3 - 24 J U N E 2 0 2 2 ROME, ITALY

17 - 19 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2 BERLIN, GERMANY

For the rest of the 2022 calendar visit Courses and dates subject to change

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www.eacts.org

EACTS NEWS

WHAT THE DELEGATES SAID Feedback from recent EACTS Academy events

5TH EACTS MECHANICAL CIRCULATORY SUPPORT SUMMIT Date held: 4-6 November, Berlin, Germany

ATTENDEES:

233

DID THIS YEAR’S SUMMIT MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS?

WILL YOU RECOMMEND THIS SUMMIT TO A FRIEND OR COLLEAGUE?

98%

100%

of people who completed the evaluation said yes

of people who completed the evaluation said yes

“Excellent conference.”

“A very good meeting.”

“A very friendly environment and excellent meeting. Congratulations for the organising team and participants.”

SAVE THE DATE: 6th EACTS Mechanical Circulatory Support Summit 17-19 November 2022 Berlin, Germany

THE AORTIC FORUM Date held: 15-16 November, Bologna, Italy

ATTENDEES:

246

DID THE AORTIC FORUM MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS?

WILL YOU RECOMMEND THE AORTIC FORUM TO A FRIEND OR COLLEAGUE?

97%

95%

of people who completed the evaluation said yes

of people who completed the evaluation said yes

“The programme was superior to any expectations. The organising committee is excellent. The greatest surgeons in the aortic field came to the Aortic Forum, incredible experience.”

“Overall excellent congress and will return happily in the future.”

“The forum was amazing!

Congratulations!”

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Quality Improvement

FEEL THE QUALITY Theo de By, the Director of EUROMACS and Project Manager of the Adult Cardiac Database, explains the ideas behind both projects and how they work.

What is EUROMACS?

Quality improvement is a vital and constant issue in the world of professional healthcare – it’s about improving systems and processes with the ultimate aim of securing better outcomes for patients. EACTS has taken a lead in driving quality improvement in cardiothoracic surgery and has established a Quality Improvement Programme (QUIP) that promotes the importance of integrating quality improvement initiatives into daily clinical practice, which, in turn, advances improvements in clinical outcomes. QUIP comes under the EACTS Quality Improvement and Databases Committee.

Under QUIP, EACTS operates two key international databases: EUROMACS (the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support), which collects data on patients receiving mechanical circulatory support; and the Adult Cardiac Database, which seeks to benchmark data from hospitals across Europe as a way to improve pre- and post-operative care.

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“EUROMACS is a registry that has been set up to gather data from participating centres and to accumulate the data into a database that can be used by researchers and clinicians to correlate the different factors that influence outcomes. Results in patients with different diagnoses and treatment modalities can be compared. Outcomes per individual centre can be benchmarked against all other centres. The patients in the database are mostly candidates for heart transplantation. To overcome the period between diagnosis of heart failure and transplant an assist device is implanted. The device helps them to keep the blood circulation intact until a heart for transplant becomes available. A small category of patients will never get a transplant but do get an assist device, e.g. because of advanced age. We use EUROMACS to understand the different influences of the treatment strategies that are used with these patients on the survival, on adverse events, to see how clinicians can perhaps avoid such events.”

So EUROMACS is helping the scientific community to understand how to support these patients?

“Yes, and it goes into deep detail sometimes. We have many different clinical baseline and follow-up data which, for the physicians involved in analyses of these data can be indicators for treatment options.”

How many centres are participating?

“We have 70 centres contributing data to EUROMACS. This includes national societies, for instance, the Spanish, and there is an understanding with the French SFCTCV to join the registry, while all centres in the Netherlands share 100% of their data.”

EACTS NEWS

What is the Adult Cardiac Database?

“It is a registry set up by EACTS in which centres can benchmark their data against the anonymous data from all other data contributors. The ACD now contains data of >250,000 procedures. It has a very sophisticated dashboard that can be accessed by the participants, in which they can detail their outcomes per group of patients and then compare those outcomes with other centres.

The ultimate goal of the Adult Cardiac Database is quality improvement. Every centre has excellent results but if you look into the detail there may be areas for improvement. With the database dashboard you can identify these areas for improvement and concentrate on those with your team, and over time you can see whether your improvement project has had the results that you were after.”

How many how many centres are participating in the Adult Cardiac Database?

“About 100 centres have signed the charter that has been offered by EACTS. Seventy are now actively contributing data.

Presently we are working on a quality assessment programme that will run until about Christmas of this year. When this programme is finished we can publish the results and be sure we have really a good representation of the data from these hospitals. We will move forward then and extend our programme to other hospitals in Europe with the assurance that the data is really of high quality.”

How do you ensure you gather only high-quality data?

“We do statistical analysis of these data. There are sometimes unlikely outliers that can easily identified. In addition, we present reports to the hospitals and show them the analyses of the data that were uploaded into the database and ask them to assess these. Furthermore we do make an inventory of methods that hospitals use for internal data validation.

“Understanding the different methods that the data are applied e.g. for accountability to the hospital council, to insurance companies, or governmental bodies provide an understanding of how internal assessment takes place. That assures us that the ACD is filled with data that have been double checked or that have been assessed by independent auditors.

“In combination with the statistical analysis that we do in our database, the maximum assurance that the source data coming out of these units are truthful.”

How does collecting data help raise the bar in terms of treatment back in the units?

“Quality improvement is expressed in terms of improved outcomes, so less mortality, less comorbidities after operations.

Our system really helps these units to understand where they can improve and what they have to do to reach the same level as their colleagues elsewhere in Europe. In some countries this culture has existed for a long time but there are still a lot of units in hospitals around Europe that would very much benefit from this system in terms of improved outcomes.”

Would the system be even better if more centres submitted their data to you?

“Quantity does of course increase our strength. However, we must constantly guard against data of lower quality! That is why we focus on the ability of each unit to provide real trustworthy data to the Adult Cardiac Database.”

Is there any evidence that gathering and sharing data does lead to better outcomes in patients?

“Absolutely, there’s a lot of literature, a lot of proof out there that shows that benchmarking based on shared data and focusing on areas for improvement eventually helps to generate better outcomes in terms of patient survival and less complications.”

For further information about EUROMACS visit www.euromacs.org.

To find out more about the Adult Cardiac Database visit www.eacts.org/quip/adultcardiacdatabase

The ultimate goal of the Adult Cardiac Database is quality improvement. Every centre has excellent results but if you look into the detail there may be areas for improvement. With the database dashboard you can identify these areas for improvement and concentrate on those with your team.

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Annual Meeting

EACTS RECONNECTS IN BARCELONA Normal in-person service resumed for the 35th EACTS Annual Meeting as more than 2000 participants from around the world made their way to the Barcelona International Convention Centre in October. For those who still couldn’t travel, this was the first hybrid Annual Meeting, offering them the opportunity to tune into live sessions and participate via a new virtual platform.

While the biggest attraction of the EACTS Annual Meeting is always the world-class science and education, the key theme of this year’s meeting was ‘reconnecting’ – giving everybody the opportunity following the pandemic lockdowns to rekindle old relationships and to create fresh links with new acquaintances.

Over the next few pages, we look back at Barcelona and hear from the people who were instrumental in putting the Annual Meeting together, and from those who travelled to attend one of the biggest and best international events of its kind.

Rafael Sádaba, EACTS Secretary General

Alcija Zientara, EACTS Council

“One of the main reasons this meeting is a success is because of the quality of the science and education in the programme.

This is thanks to many people working a huge number of hours since January.

“We all looked forward to finally having a look at new opportunities in education, and especially hands-on training, and to meet people again.”

“We’ve had visitors from around the world. For me it’s a joy seeing people coming such a long distance, because if they make that effort it means that this is a good product.

“We have a great programme, the best speakers, the best science. Ultimately what we want is those who came to the meeting to take that knowledge, that science, back to their own centres and apply what they have learned. This is what it’s all about, trying to improve the care we give to patients.

“Thank you everyone for coming to Barcelona. I hope we will see you again in Milan next year.”

Brendan Eley, EACTS Chief Executive “It’s fantastic seeing so many people faceto-face again. There’s no substitute for that experience. It’s a chance to meet but it’s more than anything a chance to learn, a chance to share, a chance to experience.

“The purpose of EACTS is educating, training, raising and setting standards in surgical care, and the three days in Barcelona is the epitome of all of that work.”

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Joe Bavaria, EACTS Council “I love coming to the EACTS Annual Meeting. It is usually spicy and robust with lots of discussion. I have a great time with my colleagues talking about detailed cardiac surgery and cardiac surgical techniques, so I find that whenever I come here I always learn something, even at my level.”

Theo Kofidis, National University Hospital of Singapore “There was no way I would miss this meeting point for cardiothoracic surgeons.

I think that EACTS provides a good mix of education, research and clinical expertise, so we get a taste of the latest and best out there in the field.”

EACTS NEWS

THE 35TH EACTS ANNUAL MEETING IN NUMBERS 3000+ PARTICIPANTS FROM 87 COUNTRIES

2000+ IN PERSON 900+ VIRTUALLY

100+ SESSIONS 31% PARTICIPATED VIRTUALLY

69% PARTICIPATED IN PERSON

2000+

REGISTERED PHYSICIANS PARTICIPATED

12 TRAINING

37 ABSTRACT SESSIONS

700+

SCIENTIFIC PRESENTATIONS

800+

FACULTY IN ATTENDANCE

16 SATELLITE SYMPOSIA

VILLAGE SESSIONS

57 FOCUS SESSIONS

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ISSUES OF DAILY NEWS

Techno College Innovation Award winner The victor this year in Barcelona was Hazem Fallouh, Consultant Thoracic Surgeon at University Hospitals Birmingham Tell us about your innovation.

What prompted you to apply for the Award?

“PerDeCTTM (pericardial device to measure cardiac output and diagnose tamponade) aids the diagnosis of tamponade and monitors cardiac output. If tamponade is suspected, most of us advocate taking the patient back to the operating room. This can be expensive and disruptive in the false positive diagnosis.

PerDeCT is made of a doppler/ultrasound probe and a balloon placed in the pericardium at the end of the operation to challenge the pericardium and objectively predict the development of tamponade. The ultrasound/doppler probe measures cardiac output. It can be withdrawn through the skin when the patient is recovered. It will decrease the catastrophic incidents of missed tamponade and reduce unnecessary reoperations.”

“I am a fan of the Techno College Innovation Award and always looked at the past winners with admiration. I thought that even being shortlisted should give me the peer review seal of approval so I could resubmit for another grant.”

How did you prepare your presentation?

“You can’t explain everything, so I presented a video of two minutes and did the voice over in one slide. Invest in good quality video, it is worth it. You need to explain the unmet need in 15 seconds, the size of the problem in 15 seconds, the solution in 20 seconds, evidence that your solution works in 20 seconds.

Show that you considered the intellectual property. Health economics is important, so throw in some figures.”

How did you prepare for the quick-fire discussion?

“There are two kinds of question. The first kind are for the panel to understand more – make sure you know your idea well, have a reference to back every point. The second kind is to evaluate your idea or even undermine it. You tackle these beforehand by doing a risk register for your project, with mitigation strategies.”

Has winning the award gained you a wider audience?

Volkmar Falk (left) with Techno College Innovation Award contenders Amir Sadeghi, Hazem Fallouh and David Koolbergen

“The intention was just a line and a picture in a grant application.

However, I was amazed at the amount of media attention. I have also been approached by international devices companies and investors. I can’t be sure yet whether this will make funding it easier, but it is certainly easier to start the conversation.”

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Annual Meeting

Techno College Innovation Award contender Also competing for this year’s award was Amir Sadeghi, Surgical Resident in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam Tell us about your innovation.

How did you prepare your presentation?

“PulmoVR started in 2019, when as a resident, I was trying to familiarise myself with the pulmonary anatomy for video assisted surgeries. I found it hard to understand the 3D anatomy of the lungs and to correlate that with what I saw during the operations. I started looking for new technologies to enable me to understand the anatomy better, and to make it easier for us as a department to plan complex segmentectomy procedures. I got lots of support from our chief of department and other dedicated thoracic surgeons to start a trial on developing a VR-based platform for lung surgery planning.”

“I have done some courses on how to create a slide deck or how to present an elevator pitch. I used some of those elements. I really thought about what would be the most important factors that surgeons would want to know about the innovation.”

What prompted you to apply for the Award?

Has the experience gained you a wider audience?

“When I saw the description, I was immediately triggered to apply, since I thought that our innovative platform really was suitable. Also, I thought it was a nice opportunity to present our technology to a broader audience of surgeons.”

“We have received some nice reactions from colleagues. Some people have shown their interest in trying out the platform to see if it could be something they could work with in their clinical practice. Besides that, it was an amazing experience!”

How did you prepare for the quick-fire discussion?

“A couple of weeks earlier I had defended my PhD thesis on the applications of VR technology in the field of cardiothoracic surgery, so I was already well prepared to answer questions.”

Congratulations to all the award winners this year: Cardiac Young Investigator Award: Y Ahmed, Ann Arbor, USA Thoracic young Investigator Award: Y Yan, Shanghai, China Congenital Young Investigator Award: F Rijnberg, Den Haag, The Netherlands Hans G Borst Award for Thoracic Aortic Surgery: W Heo, Busan, South Korea and Y Inoue, Suita, Japan EACTS/STS Award: M Kreibich, Freiburg, Germany Marko Turina Award for Best MMCTS Residents’ Tutorial: J Kelly, Philadelphia, USA

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Y Ahmed

F Rijnberg

EACTS NEWS

The 35th EACTS Annual Meeting – from a Resident’s perspective with the introduction of percutaneous strategies, and we are likely to see further growth in this arena. However, with any new treatment modality, it is important to recognise that it needs to be used in the right patient at the right time. To maximise the benefits of this choice an excellent interdisciplinary ethos is needed within the heart team. It was a pleasure to visit the session recognising two titans in congenital heart surgery who sadly passed away last year, Dr Bill Norwood and Dr Aldo Castaneda.

Vascular Disease Domain

Members of the Residents’ Committee gather in Barcelona

Residents’ Committee member Nabil Hussein, from Hull University Teaching Hospital, reports:

Aquired Cardiac Disease Domain Residents had the opportunity to ask questions in a relaxed atmosphere and to interact with other residents, fellows and expert surgeons. The incorporation of newly developed endoscopic mitral valve repair simulators alongside the existing hands-on sessions was a great example of the advantages of in-person meetings.

Another highlight was the heart team session, which encourages a holistic approach towards patient care. A whole session was dedicated to the impact of Covid-19 on cardiac surgery programmes, many speakers made clear the relationship between Covid-19 and the cardiovascular system, especially long term.

The Skills Corner was another highlight for surgeons in training.

Focusing on transcatheter devices, attendees had the opportunity to practice not only on-site but also remotely via online attendance.

Congenital Disease Domain This included sessions on managing complex pathologies, such as single ventricle, neonates and low-weight infants with CHD, mechanical support and mitral valve disease. An excellent session looked at how the management of CHD patients has advanced

We were thrilled to welcome so many of you to the first cardiothoracic event since the pandemic began and to give you an invaluable opportunity to reconnect, debate and learn with the best in cardiothoracic surgery. Click here for Annual Meeting highlights.

This began with a session making clear that frozen elephant trunk is a widely adopted treatment option in aortic surgery. The auditorium agreed that the complex procedure of aortic arch replacement is becoming more feasible and safer. A series of lively discussions arose during sessions related to acute type A aortic dissection. The same was true for topics on the cerebral perfusion during circulatory arrest. Senior surgeons made it clear that bilateral antegrade perfusion via both carotid arteries might be preferred over unilateral arterial and retrograde venous perfusion options.

Discussions on technique refinements continued in Searching for options to improve aortic treatment, while the TEVAR simulator was a true highlight for surgeons in training.

Thoracic Disease Domain As well as several abstract sessions, in which young surgeons presented their latest results in basic research and in the translational and clinical areas, prominent focus sessions were the highlights. The session with colleagues from the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer was outstanding. Also worth mentioning is the session where colleagues from Wuhan and Bergamo spoke about their Covid-19 experiences. In Major trials and landmark papers – what the thoracic surgeon needs to know, principal investigators spoke about VIOLET, PulMiCC and NELSON trials. The scientific conclusion of the Annual Meeting was the thoracic MDT. Here young thoracic surgeons presented their most interesting cases of the past year. The Training Village tailored for young thoracic surgeons on Saturday afternoon was also a great success.

SAVE THE DATE!

THE 36TH EACTS ANNUAL MEETING We’re looking forward to learning together in Milan from 5-8 October 2022. Make a note in your diaries and join us to experience an innovative scientific programme rich with insight that will help you improve patient outcomes. We look forward to seeing you in Milan next year!

Abstract submissions open, 1 February 2022. Deadline for receipt of abstracts, 30 April 2022. Registrations open, Spring 2022.

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Fellowships

A FUND THAT FOSTERS AND EDUCATES The Francis Fontan Fund for Education supports education for young surgeons, fosters professional development and strengthens the global cardiothoracic community. It does this by creating a network of expertise that shares clinical knowledge and learns from the highest standards of cardiothoracic care.

The Fund supports several different Fellowships, with up to eight Fellows each, specialising in a wide range of cardiothoracic techniques. These Fellowships take place in centres all around the world, including Europe, the USA and China, and are open to applications from all countries.

The Fellowships are: • Advanced Intensive Post-Operative Care • Aortic TEVAR • Aortic Root and Valve Repair • Atrial Fibrillation • EACTS-MSTCVS Quality and Outcomes • Off Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Fellowship (OPCAB) • Minimally Invasive Coronary Bypass Graft (MICS CABG)

• TSF/FFF International Travelling • Uniportal VATS Applications for the latest round of awards closed in November and are now being considered. One award that has just been announced is the Advanced Intensive Post-Operative Care Fellowship, which went to Gvido Janis Bergs from Latvia (see below).

The Francis Fontan Fund Committee also has a fresh look, with several new faces, among them: Ruggero De Paulis – Chair Rafa Sádaba – Lead Surgeon for TSFFFF International Travelling Richard Prager – Lead Surgeon for MSTCVS Quality and Outcomes

The Fellowship programme is an important part of EACTS’ educational programme. I would urge people to apply.

Ruggero De Paulis, Chair, Francis Fontan Fund Committee

What the Fellows say…

Tell us about yourself, your specialty and where you are working now?

“I’m a cardiac surgery resident in Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia. In a country with a population of around two million people, there is only one adult cardiac surgery centre, where the whole spectrum and complexity of cardiac surgery cases are admitted and managed, around 1100 surgeries per year.”

Gvido Janis Bergs has just been awarded the EACTS Advanced Intensive PostOperative Care Fellowship for 2022

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At what stage was your career when you applied for the Francis Fontan Fellowship?

“I submitted my application at the beginning of the fifth residency year, the last year of my training. It seemed a logic step to go abroad, acquire new skills and

find new perspectives on how to approach cardiac surgery cases differently. It is one of the most prestigious fellowships in cardiac surgery and no one from Latvia has ever received it, so it was a great challenge for me to apply and be the first.”

What prompted you to apply?

“In my hospital, cardiac surgeons and cardiac intensive care doctors work closely in the postoperative management of patients. However, I think cardiac surgeons are more focused on surgery than postoperative management. I had this confidence inside me that I wanted to learn more advanced skills in postoperative management. When I read about the Advanced Intensive Postoperative Care Fellowship, the summary and experience of the previous

EACTS NEWS

fellow really caught my attention. I read it couple of times and I was certain that I had to apply.”

What do you hope to get out of the Fellowship, professionally and personally?

“Professionally, I want to become a better doctor. I want to learn new technical skills, gain new knowledge on how to manage complex cases, which are seen more often in high volume cardiac surgery centres. For a long time, I have had an affection for research and writing, so I also hope to improve my research and scientific writing skills

and learn from doctors who have this experience and knowledge at the highest level. Personally, I want to meet new colleagues, who I can call or write to seek advice.”

How do you expect it might affect the trajectory of your career?

“It is great honour, yet it is also great responsibility to learn and improve as much as it’s possible during these months. I believe, that Francis Fontan Fellowship will definitely affect the trajectory I’m heading.

The time will tell how great the actual impact will be.”

training in centres of excellence within the EU. My main goal was to improve my basic knowledge and techniques in MICS CABG and be able to lead and set up a MICS CABG programme in my institution. I think that will be a benefit to both the patient and the service. Once the technique has been consolidated, our objective is to be a reference centre in Spain and to collaborate in the training of colleagues from other hospitals.”

Arnaldo Javier Estigarribia has recently completed The Francis Fontan Fund Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Coronary Bypass Graft (MICS CABG) What is your specialty and where are you working now?

“I am a certified cardiovascular surgeon with wide experience in off-pump CABG. My cardiovascular surgery residency was at the Hospital General de Agudos Dr. Cosme Argerich in Buenos Aires, and since 2008 I have worked as a staff physician in the cardiac surgery service in Hospiten Rambla, Tenerife.”

What prompted you to apply?

“The Francis Fontan Fund Fellowship is one of the most important that is granted to specialists in order to continue their

Did taking up the Fellowship involve any upheaval? If so, how did you cope?

“The fellowship was organised in five modules. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic I wasn’t able to complete module 3 (Proctoring Session), which would have made the training complete. But overall, it was a great experience because I had the opportunity to learn from the best professionals in coronary surgery in Europe. Both in the course carried out in Brussels and in the stay in Leipzig, the relationship with the people in charge of both events has been remarkable.”

How was your recent trip to the Aortic Forum in Bologna?

“It was the first event I attended in person since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and I was excited to be there.

The Forum was really well organised, with many excellent speakers and research topics. It felt astounding, how fast the field of cardiothoracic surgery is evolving. It was also great to meet some colleagues I haven’t seen in person for a long time as well as to meet new ones.”

specific as it is innovative. I consider this fellowship as a starting point to advance as a professional. I have also been able to exchange knowledge, interact with experts in the field, learn about the internal workings of leading European hospitals, get involved with a surgical team that performs this type of intervention daily.”

How might it affect the trajectory of your career?

“This fellowship has meant a significant advance in my career, which is reflected in my daily work. I currently lead the MICS CABG surgery programme at my centre and I am teaching my colleagues to perform the technique because I believe that it is the future of coronary surgery.”

What is your advice be to anybody thinking of applying for a Fellowship?

“I encourage all surgeons to apply. It is a unique experience to be able to interact with the best surgeons in the world and to learn from them.”

What have you learnt about your specialty and about yourself during the Fellowship?

“The most important benefits are the acquisition of new knowledge and skills to perform a technique as

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Publishing

The Friedburg team: (main pic) Matthias Siepe, Friedhelm Beyersdorf, Franziska Lüder, Melanie Künzie, Jia-Lin Müller, Claudia Heilmann and Judy Gaillard; (inset) Josephine Menke

New Director for publishing EACTS has appointed Ash Merrifield (left) as Publications Director. Ash will oversee and build on the success of the Association’s hugely popular journals, the subscription-based European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery and the open access Interactive CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery.

“I am delighted to have joined EACTS,” said Ash. “I look forward to working with the editorial teams to ensure that the EACTS publications portfolio continues to see growth, in reach and impact, year on year. Having spent eight years at two of the leading STM publishers and more recently at Radcliffe

Cardiology, I am looking forward to a new challenge and to supporting EACTS’ mission to lead the way in publishing high-quality research across the field of cardiac, thoracic and vascular interventions, helping to drive education and improve cardiothoracic outcomes in practice.

“I would like to sincerely thank the team in Freiburg, Judy Gaillard, Dr. Franziska Lüder, Melanie Künzie, Josephine Menke and Lin Müller, for all their hard work and support of the journals over the years. I would also like to thank Dr. Lüder for providing such a smooth and thorough handover during the transition period. Their help and guidance in my initial few weeks has been invaluable. I think I can safely say, the team in Freidburg have all had a profound and lasting impact on the journals.”

EACTS, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), and the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) host online symposiums The first event was the 2021 STS/EACTS/ESTS Latin America Thoracic Surgery Symposium on 19 November. This was attended by 452 registrants from 71 countries. It offered new data and insights on managing patients with Covid, starting a lung cancer screening program, and treating patients with chest wall trauma, and boasted an internationally representative lineup of world-class faculty. The Covid-19 Pandemic: Thoracic Surgeons’ Perspective included a panel discussion and presenters offering insights on airway complications and case selection. Lung Cancer Screening: How and Why? addressed lack of resources and presented new research data. A Clash of the Titans debated lobectomy versus segmentectomy for earlystage non-small cell lung cancer.

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The second event was the 2021 STS/EACTS Latin America Cardiovascular Surgery Symposium on 3 December. This was attended by 459 registrants representing 63 countries and featured video sessions interspersed with panel discussions. Surgeons demonstrated robotic mitral valve repair and minimally invasive repair with an annuloplasty ring.

Another presentation explained transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER). In the aortic valve arena, Joe Bavaria showed attendees the process for bicuspid aortic valve repair with an implanted ring, while the following presentation detailed minimally invasive valve-sparing aortic root replacement.

Free digital archives of both symposia will be available in the STS Learning Center.

EACTS NEWS

MMCTS LATEST NEWS

EACTS ARTICLE SUMMARIES

Case reports to be published on MMCTS MMCTS has published hundreds of surgical tutorials since its launch in 2005 and it now offers a library of nearly 500 succinct, video-focused demonstrations of standard procedures – all freely available online. However, not all patients or situations are standard, and so to capture the full range of surgical realities, MMCTS is now also publishing video case reports.

A round-up of some of the key items from recent issues

Co-editor in Chief Roberto Lorusso said, “Many of today’s routine procedures began as single cases, and carefully selected case reports can be illuminating and highly educational.”

Co-editor René Prêtre added, “Case reports, by their nature, often describe unique situations. The evidence to include them in our library is not so strong as for established procedures. Cases have to be carefully scrutinised for their potential impact and pertinence.

With this in mind, we are excited to have this opportunity to broaden the scope and educational value of MMCTS.” To see MMCTS’s new case reports, visit mmcts.org. To learn more about how to publish your case report visit mmcts.org/page/431.

A new editorial team for Core Skills A new editorial team for the MMCTS Core Skills Domain has been appointed. Enrico Ferrari, Professor of Surgery at the Cardiocentro Ticino Institute in Lugano, Switzerland has been appointed domain editor and will be joined by two associate domain editors, Miia Lehtinen, a cardiothoracic surgery resident in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa in Finland, and Jason Han, a cardiac surgery resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in the US. With just 69 Core Skills tutorials currently on offer, the demand for more material exists, and the team is already exploring opportunities for outreach and commissioning to meet the challenge of creating a comprehensive domain. Dr Lehtinen said, “Our goal is to curate a complete catalogue of tutorials teaching fundamental cardiothoracic surgery skills. We are reviewing our existing content and will be actively seeking submissions on much-needed topics.”

To learn how to publish a tutorial visit mmcts.org/page/431.

The editorial board would like to thank Bartosz Rylski, who led Core Skills from MMCTS’s relaunch in 2016 until mid-2021. His hard work has been fundamental to the success of Core Skills.

EJCTS Consensus document on optimal management of patients with common arterial trunk Mark G Hazekamp, David J Barron, Joanna Dangel, Tessa Homfray, Monique R M Jongbloed, Inga Voges, ESC Scientific Document Group. Volume 60, Issue 1, July 2021 An Editor’s Choice article from last July, this consensus document bases its recommendations for managing common arterial trunk on an extensive and critical review of the existing literature combined with the personal experience of leading experts.

Report from the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons database 2019: current surgical practice and perioperative outcomes of pulmonary metastasectomy Michel Gonzalez, Alessandro Brunelli, Zalan Szanto, Stefano Passani, Pierre-Emmanuel Falcoz. Volume 59, Issue 5, May 2021 Another Editor’s Choice, this time in thoracic surgery and based on a review of patient outcomes after pulmonary metastasectomy.

2021 ESC/EACTS Guidelines for the management of valvular heart disease: Developed by the Task Force for the management of valvular heart disease of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) Alec Vahanian, Friedhelm Beyersdorf, Fabien Praz, Milan Milojevic, Stephan Baldus, Johann Bauersachs, Davide Capodanno, Lenard Conradi, Michele De Bonis, Ruggero De Paulis et al. Volume 60, Issue 4, October 2021 Our expert EACTS and ESC Task Force members reviewed the published evidence and performed a critical evaluation of the risk/ benefit ratios of a range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

ICVTS Major cardiovascular events at 5 years in surgical versus percutaneous revascularization for left main stem disease: an updated meta-analysis Stefano Urso, Rafel Sadaba, Eliú Nogales, Jesús María González, María Ángeles Tena, Federico Paredes, Miguel González-Barbeito, Francisco Portela. Volume 32, Issue 4, April 2021 This meta-analysis reviews the published five-year results from key trials: SYNTAX, PRECOMBAT, NOBLE, and EXCEL. The results demonstrate that CABG is associated with a significant reduction in the risk of major cardiovascular events when compared to percutaneous intervention with drug-eluting stents.

MMCTS Posterior left pericardiotomy for the prevention of atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery Christopher Lau, Giovanni Jr Soletti, Roberto Perezgrovas Olaria, Patrick Myers, Leonard N. Girardi, and Mario Gaudino. Dec 2021 The authors of this tutorial demonstrate their own step-by-step technique for posterior left pericardiotomy.

Aortic valve neocuspidization (the Ozaki procedure) Markus Krane, Andrea Amabile, Johannes A. Ziegelmüller, Arnar Geirsson, and Rüdiger Lange. October 2021 This video tutorial demonstrates the technical steps of aortic valve neocuspidization with fixed autologous pericardium using the Ozaki technique, an alternative to complex aortic valve repair.

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@EACTS @EuropeanAssociationCardioThoracicSurgery @eactsofficial EACTS