NEWSLETTER

June 2000

European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery
The Cottage, 16 High Street
Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 1LD, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1753 832 166
Fax: +44 (0)1753 620 407
E-mail: info@eacts.co.uk
Web: http://www.eacts.org

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Colleagues,

At the end of May the Council and the Programme Committee met at EACTS “Headquarters“ in Windsor. The Scientific Programme – backbone of the 14^th Annual Meeting in Frankfurt – was conceived and steps for the finalization of the program were taken.

In a very short time our Windsor office, housing an extremely efficient team under the lead of Kathy McGree, has developed the home of the Association. I really recommend to any member visiting Windsor, not to miss a visit to the office next door to the Castle Hotel. It will gain even more importance and unity when the executive of the European Journal for Cardio-thoracic Surgery have moved in.

As announced later in this Newsletter,Marko Turina will hand over the office of the Editor to another member of our Association. His contributions to the success of the Journal and thereby to the Association are inestimable. Gaining a most efficient publisher, tightening the relationships between sister Journals, Annals of Thoracic Surgery and The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, integrating the new media: all are milestones among so many other achievements. The tireless and continuous work on the scientific level and hence the steep rise of the impact factor are to the great benefit of each member and of the whole community of cardiothoracic surgeons worldwide.

With respect to the present and future role of the web for the spread of the scientific development, for the support of clinical progress as well as for the inter-relationships with the innovative branches of the industry I want to compliment at this point Paul Sergeant. He is one of those in the medical scene and certainly the most proficient in our Association, who from the beginning recognized the essential future role of the web and who is doubtlessly the architect of the present achievements playing a key role in the joint ventures together with the AATS and STS. Realizing the ever increasing demands and responsibilities, the Council decided to propose a constitutional change and to establish the position of an Information Officer as an ordinary member of the Council. In my opinion, Paul Sergeant should be awarded this task.

We are fortunate to see that the process of organizing a joint meeting together with the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons in Lisbon in 2001 is progressing successfully. The mutual confidence, which made the European Journal the official Journal also of the ESTS and the cooperative examinations for the European Board qualification, are indicators of the broad interests we have in common. This is of extreme importance with regard to the big assignment to strive for homogeneity of medical education and postgraduate training within the European countries. All the more I am grateful for the initiative, which was taken by Giovanni Ferrante. In the superbly organized Interdisciplinary Symposium ”Naples 2000“ one session chaired by K. Jeysingham, who will edit the contributions later, was devoted to this issue. It became more than evident that an urgent demand of continuing cooperation exists if we are to keep the initiative ahead of less competent groups or politicians.

Joachim Hasse, M.D., FETCS

REPORT FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL

Heart Centre, University Hospital
901 85 Umeå, Sweden
Tel: +46 90 785 36 76, Fax + 46 90 785 36 01, E-mail: eacts.secretary@mailbox.calypso.net

Marko Turina nominated as Vice President

The Nominating Committee, consisting of Hans Borst, chairman, Toni Lerut, Ernst Wolner, Eugene Baudet and David Wheatley, has asked Marko Turina to accept the nomination as Vice President. Marko Turina has acknowledged the nomination and at the same time has asked the Council to relieve him of his appointment as Editor.
This year, this was the only council Member to be nominated.

Search for a New Editor-in-Chief of the EJCTS
Call for Applications

After the nomination of Marko Turina as vice President, the post as Editor of the EJCTS is now open for application.
The Council has decided to subject the appointment of the next Editor to the following procedure:

1. Announcement of the vacancy and the conditions of the post (this announcement) with a call for applications in the Newsletter and on the EACTS homepage.

2. Evaluation of the applications by an ad hoc Evaluation Committee consisting of the President, Jochen Hasse, the Vice President, Marcos Murtra, the Secretary General, Torkel Åberg, the Chairman of the Journal Committee Eugene Baudet and the former Editor Hans Borst with the present Editor Marko Turina acting as non-voting advisor.

3. The three foremost Candidates are evaluated by the entire Council.

4. The final Candidate is presented to the Association at the Annual Meeting for approval. Nominations may also be made from the floor.

Background

· The Journal represents one of the most important activities of the Association.

· The Editor is an Officer of the Association.

· E-mail and the Internet has profoundly changed the ways of communication, printing and scientific publishing, vide infra.

Appointment

By the Constitution (Article V, section 12), the Editor is appointed by the Council, subject to approval by the Association at the Annual Meeting. The Editor is appointed for a five-year term and can be re-appointed once. There shall be an overlap of at least one year with the next Editor. In this case, Marko Turina has volunteered to introduce and help the incoming Editor as long as is necessary.

Increased and more specialised knowledge within our subspecialties and increased number of articles submitted to the Journal as well as the development of the internet has changed the mode of working and the workload of the Editorial office. After discussion within the Council, two options for the work of the Editor have emerged. The Editor could work with a:

1. “Scientific preponderance” with much of the work and decisions taken by himself after peer review (present opus operandi).

2. “Administrative preponderance” Relying heavily on associate editors for various subsets of cardio-thoracic surgery while reserving the ultimate decision for himself.

All applicants should consider with which preponderance he or she would prefer working.

Characteristics of the new Editor

Council has listed the following “must” and “should” requirements for the Editor:

“Must” requirements:

· Be a cardio-thoracic surgeon and a member of the EACTS

· Have a good scientific and administrative background

· Be proficient in the English language

· Be willing to devote much time for editorial work

· Be willing to make most of his communicative work via e-mail

· Be willing to acquire in-depth knowledge of the Internet and electronic publishing

· Be willing to lead a small Editorial Office staff, which is located elsewhere

“Should” requirements:

· Age above 50

· He/she should be predominantly cardiac surgeon (more than ¾ of submissions are from the field of cardiac surgery)

· Have reached a higher position within his/her own department, preferably but not necessarily head of the department

· Have or be willing to build up a good network of colleagues interested in running the Journal

· Have access to the expertise in statistics and other allied sciences In his own university

· Have access to high calibre cardio-thoracic surgical help within own department

Duties:

· Reach final decisions about manuscripts in the Journal.

· Send for administration the flow of manuscripts for peer review.

· Be an Officer of the EACTS Council.

· Participate as Associate Editor in the CTSNet structure.

· Participate in the preparation of the scientific programme of the Annual Meeting as an ex officio member of the Programme Committee.

· Inspire the Journal Committee in helping to develop, spread and finance the Journal.

The Goals for the Journal during the next five years are to:

1. Continue increasing the scientific value of the Journal and thus improve upon the impact factor

2. Increase the number of subscriptions

3. Maintain or reduce the present publication times

4. Make the Journal financially gainful, thus contributing to the EACTS finances.

5. Finalise the implementation of the new publishing modes on the internet.

The internet and the possibilities of a markedly rationalised handling of the manuscripts via the net have profoundly changed the work of the Editor. The everyday work will consist of receiving e-mail manuscripts and then distributing them to the appropriate Associate Editor and/or reviewers via e-mail. Thus it is not foreseen that the Editor will need any in-house secretarial assistance.

There will be an Editorial Office probably in Switzerland, possibly in Windsor which via e-mail will handle the flow of manuscripts. Thus the task of the Editor is a purely intellectual one.

The Editor is essential to any scientific association. It is also a culmination of the career of any academic surgeon.

Applications should contain a curriculum vitae, a publication list and a description of what the Applicant believes should be the structure of the Editorial work and also which changes could or should be made in the Journal itself. It would also be helpful to take part of the Applicant’s views on future publishing on the internet and the role of the CTSNet. If any financial assistance within the Editor’s office itself will be required, it should be clearly stated.

Applications may be addressed to

Eugene Baudet, MD
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery
Hopital de Haut-Leveque
5 Avenue de Magellen
33604 Bordeaux-Pessac, France
Tel. +33 556 36 70 49
Fax +33 5 56 07 22 78
E-mail: baudet@francemultimedia.fr

Further information may be obtained from the present Editor-in-Chief.

Marko Turina, MD
University Hospital
Rämistrasse 100
CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland
Tel. +41 1 251 1287, +41 1 255 3679
Fax +41 1 251 1422
E-mail: ejcts@chi.usz.ch or marko.turina@chi.usz.ch

or the Secretary General
Torkel Åberg, MD, FETCS
Heart Centre
University Hospital
S-901 85 Umea, Sweden
Tel. +46 90 785 36 76
Fax +46 90 785 36 01
E-mail: eacts.secretary@mailbox.calypso.net

EACTS Enterprises to be solvently liquidated
In our dealings with CASIL we have still not received any financial accounts for the year ending March 2000. The audit made for the year ending March 1999 was qualified, i.e. the auditors could not verify that the accounts are the correct ones.

In view of the fact that we have not had any positive response from CASIL on our demands that they give us our accounts, we risk coming into a conflict with the British tax authorities and with the Charity Commission. The Council has therefore explored the possibility of liquidating EACTS Enterprises, the trading company of our two companies. After thorough investigation into the matter involving both our accountants, our lawyer and a liquidator, the Council decided to apply for a voluntary, solvent liquidatation of EACTS Enterprises and create a new company named The EACTS Trading Company.

The advantages of this step are among other things that the liquidator takes care of all future contacts with CASIL and that we will have much less risk of having problems with the UK tax authorities. Thus our financial situation will be stabilised.

It should be re-iterated that the liquidation is made in order to clarify our state towards the UK authorities and made after the advice of our legal, audit and accounting representation and has nothing to do with our solvency, which is good.

Finances
During the last years, several measures have been undertaken in order to strengthen our finances and ensure our future survival. We have parted with CASIL and created an office of our own. We have streamlined our administration, partly by making use of the internet. Future plans involve making further use of the internet in tending to the needs of the Members and in arranging the Annual Meetings. Thus the cost side of our finances will be more devoted to our objectives and the cost for administering will be kept at a minimum.

At the same time our income has increased. Sales of exhibition space, at the moment our largest source of income, has increased markedly.

For the Frankfurt Annual Meeting we have instigated rigorous control stations as regards expenditure. Provided with a good attendance, the meeting will give a financial surplus.

When comparing with our US sister organisations, the Journals are their main source of income. The Council of EACTS would like to develop the Journal, increase its subscription rate and ultimately buy the title in order to make it into a financial asset for the Association.

Thus, the Council feels that we are getting out of the insecure financial state that we have been in for the last three years.

However, the EACTS is not a rich society. We have to be cautious with the expenditure and inventive with the sources of income. You can help by asking your colleagues to become members and attend the Annual Meeting.

Symposium for the Future

The EACTS is getting larger. From being a rather small association we are now a medium-sized one. We have also new responsibilities as we now run our Executive Secretariat ourselves. As we grow larger, we have to re-think our strategic plans on how to handle our affairs in the future. As an example, we have outgrown most of the Convention Centres of Europe. It is now difficult to find sites that suit us.

Another fact is that we are no longer a new Society. The Frankfurt Meeting will be our fourteenth. There is now a growing tradition in the Association. The way we work is being established.

Four years ago, we had a Symposium on the Future to which Committee members and Past Presidents were invited. At this occasion, a broad outline of the policy of the Council was established. The experience of this Symposium was very positive. The Council decided that it seemed a good time to repeat that experience, especially in view of the fact that we have had many changes in our environment, changes that undoubtedly will affect us all.

Thus there will be a Symposium for the Future in conjunction with the Management Course/Current Issues in Thoracic Surgery Meeting that will be held in Umeå in June next summer. Vide infra.

Please help by asking your colleagues and your younger collaborators to become members. We need to be as representative as possible.

Management Course/Current Issues in Cardio-Thoracic Surgery to be held in Umeå, Sweden, June 2001

The intended Management Course for this year was postponed due to our financial insecurities. Now that the picture has been clarified, Council decided to hold this course in conjunction with the Conference of the Future 15-17 June in Umeå, Sweden.


Information Officer to become regular member of the Council

During the Council Meeting in May, Council decided, after the suggestion of Hans Borst, Chairman of the Nominating Committee, that the Information Officer be made a regular member of the Council. The reason is that the services of an Information Officer have become increasingly valuable to the Association and indeed indispensable in the new era of the internet. This would require a change of the Constitution. For exact wording in the proposed change, please see below:

NB. Article XII in the Constitution states about Amendments.
These Articles of the By-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at a business session of a properly convened annual or special meeting of the Association provided that the proposed amendment has been moved and seconded by not less than three members at a prior meeting of the Association.

Proposals of changes in the Constitution:

14^th Annual Meeting, Frankfurt, Germany 7-11 October 2000

IMPORTANT DEADLINES

1 July Deadline for early Registration Fees
12 September Deadline for Pre-Registration

Registration and Accommodation Booking can be done via the homepage
http://www.eacts.org

Please note that there are separate registration forms to attend the Heidelberg Day and the Pre-Meeting Golf Tournament.

For REGISTRATION queries please contact
INTERPLAN
Bruno Lichtinger/Martina Krause
Albert-Rosshaupter-Str 65
81369 Munich, Germany
Tel: +49 89 54 82 34 0
Fax: +49 89 54 82 34 44
E-mail:eacts@i-plan.de

Submission to EJCTS of papers accepted for presentation at the 14^th EACTS meeting

IMPORTANT:

The Constitution of EACTS (Article X Section 1) requires that a manuscript containing the same material which you will present at the meeting should be submitted for consideration by the European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery either prior to (see below) or early at the meeting (deliver to the EJCTS Manuscript Submissions Desk). Note that failure to submit the appropriate material on time, duplicate/redundant publication and unreasonable withdrawal of the paper will all be brought to the attention of the programme selection committees of the 2 subsequent meetings of EACTS - offenders cannot reasonably expect their future works to be taken into consideration.

Manuscripts should be prepared strictly according to the requirements of the journal's Instructions to Authors (http://www.elsevier.nl/locate/ejcts). Complete electronic manuscripts only can be submitted through the EJCTS web submissions gateway (http://global-editor.com/html/ejcts/ejcts.htm) - note that several obvious requirements for the paper submissions (number of copies etc.) do not apply for web submissions.

EJCTS welcome on-line submissions

To satisfy the increasing demand from both authors and reviewers, EJCTS will now accept complete electronic submissions via the www and through gateways on the appropriate journal and society homepages (insert your URLs). Because the author is responsible for providing a complete readable manuscript with conventional paper submission, we have decided that the same must also apply for electronic www submissions. As well as a word processor file, authors will be asked to supply a version of their manuscript in html format with all illustrations (jpg or tif) linked. This is not so complicated to do as most modern word processing packages (MS Word etc.) give you the option to 'save as html'. This format will enable our Editors and Reviewers to simply read the manuscript using only their web browser on opening e-mail. Electronic manuscripts must be uploaded via the submissions web page only: http://www.global-editor.com/html/ejcts/ejcts.htm
directly into the journal database and should not be sent to the journal's e-mail address. Mixed electronic and paper submissions are highly inefficient to process and will not be considered. We look forward to receiving on-line submissions to EJCTS and hope that you will support us in this move, which should eventually lead to faster handling and a better service for Authors, Reviewers and Editors.

Survey concerning Training Programmes in Cardiac, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery among Residents and Young Surgeons of the EACTS

Background

In the various European countries the training programmes for cardiac or cardio-thoracic surgeons are very different. The EACTS, ESCVS and ESTS have done much work in the last few years to equalise the requirements in becoming a cardiac surgeon. One of the major achievements is the establishment of a European Board of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons.

Meeting of the EACTS in Glasgow
During the last congress of the EACTS in Glasgow the Junior Committee of the EACTS organised a special meeting where residents and young surgeons discussed the differences in training programs in Europe. They were also asked which ideas they had to improve these programs. A questionnaire was filled in and the results of this questionnaire were already subject of debate and were used to improve a new survey that you will find enclosed.

Purpose of the Survey
The purpose of this survey is to explore what are the differences in the training programs, what the present generation of residents and young surgeons think of the fundamental question what the contents of the specialty should be: Thoracic and Cardiovascular surgery, Thoracic surgery Cardiovascular surgery, Cardiac surgery etc.? What do the residents think that the contents of their training program should be and which requirements are necessary to become a good cardiac or cardio-thoracic surgeon?

Response
We hope that all junior members fill in the form which can be found on the residents website http://ctsnet.org/doc/964 and return it to us (also the residents that filled in the form during the last EACTS meeting). Only a large response will give weight to this survey and will enable us to improve your training program.

Please take about 10 minutes, fill in the form and return it before July 1^st to :
Dr. A.P. Kappetein,
Dept Thoracic Surgery, K6-S
Leiden University Medical Centre
P.O. Box 9600
2300 RC Leiden
The Netherlands

Results
Results of this survey will be published on the Residents site on CTSnet: http://www.ctsnet.org/section/residents/
Thank you very much for your time,
On behalf of the Junior Committee of the EACTS,

Prof. H.A. Huysmans Pieter Kappetein Peter Krieg Roberto Lorusso

International Heart School Trying to Help

In May 1989 The World Forum for Pediatric Cardiology I was invited to consider the creation of an International School of Pediatric Cardiology and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery in Bergamo, Italy.


This proposal was based on the knowledge that the basic science education of many physicians caring for children with cardiovascular problems in disadvantaged areas of the world is quite good. However, practical experiences and opportunities for sharing pertinent scientific information with leading authorities with special expertise from the more developed areas of the world are frequently too limited or non-existent. A school could overcome these deficiencies by bringing together physicians with specialized expertise in and interactive environment with physicians and health professionals from disadvantaged areas.

The teaching of the International Heart School “J.W. Kirklin” of Bergamo started in 1993. The present academic year (1999/2000) is the seventh one. Since 1996-1997 teaching of adult pathology was added. 166 students coming from 30 disadvantaged countries (Albania, Algeria, Belorussia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Georgia, Hungary, India, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Libya, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Palestine, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Togo, Turkey, Ukraine, Uganda and Zambia) have been accepted without any fee and been given room and full board.

The “students” (cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and cardiac anesthetists) receive clinical training in various specialized centres, such as Ospedali Riuniti and Cliniche Gavazzeni in Bergamo, “Pasquinucci” Hospital in Massa, Regina Margeherita Pediatric Hospital in Turin, and CNR of Pisa.

Monthly they attend an international workshop delivered by many prominent teachers: Akchurin, Amato, Barnard, Borst, Bove, Brawn, Carpentier, Castaneda, Chauvaud, Deloche, Fontan, Karl, Khonsari, Mec, Meisner, Metras, Planché, Pozzi, Relland, Ross, Sintek, Subramanian, Urban, Vouhé, Wolner, Yacoub and Yankah.

At the end of the academic year all the students receive the international Master in Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery and Cardiac Anesthesia awarded by the Scuola Superiore S. Anna of Pisa.

L. Parenzan
International Heart School
Villa Elios, via Gavazzeni 21, 24125 Bergamo, Italy
Phone and fax +39 035 310018, E-mail: accademi@tin.it

Forthcoming Meetings of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) and European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery (EACTS)

2000
7-11 October Frankfurt, Germany EACTS

2001
29 - 31 January New Orleans, LA STS
6-9 May San Diego, CA AATS
16-19 September Lisbon, Portugal EACTS