the 24 bulletin
Welcoming to Leicester
The First Edition of the SCTS Research Meeting 2017 On the 28th of October 2017, the first edition of the SCTS Research meeting was held at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester. As a cardiothoracic surgical trainee and meeting organiser, I have enjoyed playing an active role in this important platform for all UK cardiothoracic researchers. Marius Roman, MD (Cantab)
U
nder the guidance of Prof. Murphy, we have organised the facilities including the lecture theatre, catering, registration and IT support for the presenters. The meeting was an excellent opportunity to find out the direction of cardiothoracic research in the UK. One of the plenary sessions presented by Mr. Lim, focused on clinical trial designs and how to conduct high quality clinical research. It highlighted the importance of finding a good research question, which questions are likely to attract funding, how to design randomised trials, the analysis of results and achievement of clinical utility. Additionally, Mr. Lim emphasised both that the cardiothoracic community should lead from the front in the trials involving surgery, and as well the importance of research networking and successful collaborations. The significance of basic science research was discussed by Prof Corno, who is the chair of Congenital Cardiac Surgery at Glenfield Hospital. The review of the patient blood management evidence was presented by Prof. Murphy.
Prize winners for the best presentations at the research meeting
Interestingly, it showed that point of care testing has poor accuracy, while outcomes are not improved by increased red cell masses and liberal transfusion protocols. An excellent talk was given by Prof. Dion Morton from the Royal College of Surgeons on the national surgery research collaborative. The aim of this pan-surgical initiative involved an increase in the trainee involvement in research, development as leaders and research networks. New funding opportunities are being made available for these projects. A lunch break meeting of the SCTS trainee research collaborative discussed the pitfalls, planning and future meeting schedules. All of these were reinforced in the enlightening presentation of the academic clinical training pathway and career choices by Prof. Murphy. The oral presentations were divided into four sessions: Thoracic surgery, Congenital and Transplantation, Cardiac Surgery and Plenary lectures. This has allowed a topicfocused approach, with strong interaction from the experienced moderators and audience alike. The subjects discussed included pertinent topics like the clinical experience and outcomes of the Papworth DCD heart perfusion program, which increased significantly the number of heart transplantations performed in the UK. Additionally, the topics ranged from translational
basic animal research to comparison of aortic valve replacements or experimental pulmonary artery banding devices, or blood transfusion systematic reviews. Each session was moderated by a panel of expert Consultants, which stimulated exciting discussions following each presentation. These sessions culminated with the announcement and award ceremony of the prizes for the best presentations, consisting of a free admission to the SCTS 2018 annual meeting in Glasgow. Prizes for the oral presentations were presented by Prof. Murphy to Dr. Albertario on her study of RVOT tissue engineered patch reconstruction, Ms. Amy Kerr for the Thirsty feasibility study, Dr. O. Zibdeh and Dr. I. Bugg on the 10 year comparison of Mosaic versus Carpentier-Edwards aortic valve replacements and Mr. Ariyaratnam for the poster presentation award. Special considerations are given to Mrs. Sue Page, Mr. Douglas Miller, Dr. Alexandra Monaghan, Ms. Farhaana Surti, for their invaluable contribution in the organisation and smooth running of this meeting. With the aim of the meeting being the funnelling of the latest research in cardiothoracic surgery, it was a great opportunity for trainees to get involved and present their research. Hence why, one of the most important benefits of this meeting was the research networking, which allowed further exchange of ideas and collaborations to advance cardiothoracic surgical research in the UK. I am looking forward to the next edition of this great initiative. n