Dear CTSNet Member,
***IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT***
CTSNet, begun in 1999, has grown in 7 years to a site that contains about 50 gigabytes (50 billion bytes) of information. Always cognizant of the need to make searches on the site as easy and rapid as possible for our readers, we are introducing the PORTAL concept, beginning with the THORACIC PORTAL, but ultimately to be extended to Congenital Heart and to Adult Cardiac Surgery. This is the online version of the tab idea now found in most print journals--to direct readers quickly to material of special interest to them. For the Thoracic Portal, all material of interest to general thoracic surgeons will be placed here. Archived material can be searched as it is at present, i.e., all videos will still be available under Clinical Resources, but in addition all thoracic videos will also be found in the Thoracic Portal.
Each Portal will have an Editor and an Editorial Board. Their responsibility will be to bring additional enhancements and materials of interest to the site. Read the plans Editor Mark Ferguson, University of Chicago, Chicago Illinois, has for the THORACIC PORTAL
http://www.ctsnet.org/announcements/announcement125.html
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***WHAT'S NEW***
THORACIC PORTAL ARTICLE
The first original contribution to the Thoracic Portal is by Dr. Walter Klepetko of Vienna, Austria. Appearing under New Technology, it is entitled "New Fleece-Bound Sealants for Thoracic Surgery," and can be accessed at:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/thoracic/newtechnology/article-.html
NEW IMO
Dr. Duke Cameron, Professor of Surgery at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, voices his opinion about live webcasts of operations. Read his comments at:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/newsandviews/inmyopinion/articles/article-55.html
and then express your own opinion in the IMO Discussion Forum:
http://forums.ctsnet.org/ctsnet/forum.jspa?forumID=8
IMPORTANT STS ANNOUNCEMENT
The STS is accepting abstracts and video submissions for the 42nd Annual Meeting, Jan 30 - Feb 1, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana. THE DEADLINE IS MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2005 AT 5:00 P.M. CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME. Detailed instructions can be found here:
http://www.sts.org/sections/annualmeeting/abstractsubmission/guidelines/
TWO NEW VIDEOS AVAILABLE
Two New Videotapes are available for viewing, both contributed by Dr. Arkalgud Sampath Kumar of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Dehli, India. They are titled: (1) "Bentall Operation with Aortic Homograft" and (2) "Pericardiectomy for Chronic Constrictive Pericarditis." View at:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/clinicalresources/videos/index.html
NEW ADULT CARDIAC EXPERT TECHNIQUE
A New Adult Cardiac Technique entitled "Completely Endoscopic Microwave Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation on the Beating Heart Using Bilateral Thoracoscopy" by Dr. Adam E. Saltman of the University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA, has been posted:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/clinicalresources/adultcardiac/expert_tech-11.html
A NEW HORIZONS CONTRIBUTION
A contribution to the New Horizons Section of the Residents page has been added. By Dr. John H. Calhoon of the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, it is titled "If you're Uncomfortable, Change is Occurring, and with Purpose -- It Should be Good." View at:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/residents/newhorizons/article-6.html
NEW THORACIC EXPERT TECHNIQUE
Doctors Christian Casali, Giuseppe Fontana (shown), and Uliano Morandi of the University of Modena, Modena, Italy have contributed a Thoracic Expert Technique article entitled "Surgical Stabilization of Severe Flail Chest." Read:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/clinicalresources/thoracic/expert_tech-24.html
CARDIAC LITERATURE WATCH - Q1 2005
The first quarter 2005 Cardiac Literature Watch, edited by Drs. Eric J. Okum of Chicago, IL, and Domenico Pagano (shown) of Birmingham, UK, is now available:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/clinicalresources/literaturewatch/adultcardiac_litwatch/article-10.html
CASE OF THE MONTH
This month's case presentation is "Endovascular Treatment of a Descending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm" by Drs. Grayson H. Wheatley, III, Venkatesh Ramaiah, Daniel R. Nathanson, et al, from the Arizona Heart Institute in Phoenix, Arizona.
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/clinicalresources/clinicalcases/article-3.html
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***INDUSTRY FORUM***
BAXTER HEALTHCARE will sponsor a CME credited symposium on prevention of pericardial adhesions on September 26th during the 4th EACTS/ESTS Joint Meeting in Barcelona. For full program information and pre-registration please visit:
http://www.lms-events.com
Pre-registration is highly recommended due to limited capacity and high demand.
CRYOCATH TECHNOLOGIES INC. announces the release of TWO NEW Surgical CryoAblation Systems, SurgiFrost 7cm probe and FrostByte, a unique 2-in-1 cryoclamp device. The systems utilize CryoCath's new Argon technology to rapidly achieve -160°C in 30 to 60 seconds. SurgiFrost & FrostByte allow surgeons to complete all lesion lines efficiently while cryoadhesion ensures certainty in lesion placement and the ability to manipulate heart tissue. In the United States the cryosurgical systems are indicated for minimally invasive cardiac surgical procedures, including the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, 510(k) cleared. A brochure is available online: http://www.ctsnet.org/cryocath/product/951
Sterna-Band(TM) Self-locking Sternotomy Sutures are now available directly from TERUMO CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS. These reliable, safe, and cost-effective replacements for steel wires are easy to use for the closure of median sternotomies and lateral thoracotomies. Made of stainless steel 316L alloy, they have twice the breaking point of wires. Their design spreads the clamping force over six times the area to reduce dehiscence of the sternum and prevents the band from cutting through the bone, especially useful with high-risk patients with comorbidities such as obesity, emphysema, osteoporosis or current infection. More information at: http://www.ctsnet.org/terumo/product/952
TERUMO CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS has added a new Featured Product: VirtuoSaph™ Endoscopic Vein Harvesting System. It can be viewed at:
http://www.ctsnet.org/terumo/product/949
MEDTRONIC CARDIAC SURGERY announces the release of its new Cardioblate(R) BP2 Surgical Ablation System. The new system features an irrigated bipolar ablation device with a flexible neck and slim, 7 cm. active electrodes. Simply rotate the head or shape the malleable electrodes as the situation requires. Come and get hands-on experience with BP2 during the ISMICS wetlab (Space WL-F) and see it online now:
http://www.ctsnet.org/medtronic/product/839
CTSNet welcomes The SORIN GROUP to the CTSNet Community as a Contributing Sponsor. The Sorin Group is a medical technology leader focused on the development of products used to treat cardiovascular and renal diseases. Its cardiovascular business units include a number of companies you have worked with over the years: Dideco, Sorin Biomedica Cardio, Ela Medical, Sorin Biomedica CRM, Sorin Biomedica CID, Carbomedics, Cobe Cardiovascular, Sorin Group Deutschland, and Mitroflow. We are grateful to The Sorin Group for its educational grant, which helps support our online community. More information at:
http://www.sorin.com/eng/index.asp?NC=67574
TERUMO CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS offers a complimentary copy of "pH-guided Myocardial Management: Evolution and Clinical Application," a 78 page, full color, comprehensive guide to the subject. A recent study in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery concluded that reversing or avoiding intraoperative acidosis improves long-term patient survival. For more information: http://www.ctsnet.org/terumo/product/905
EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES has made available two CME-accredited Archived Webcasts:
(1) "Valve Repair for Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation" by Patrick M. McCarthy, MD. To access this program:
http://www.or-live.com/nmh/1300/
(2) "Operative and Long-Term Considerations in Aortic Valve Replacement Using Latest Generation Bioprostheses" by Paul J. Corso, MD. To access this program:
http://www.or-live.com/whcenter/1299/
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***IN MY OPINION***
"The Cardiac Surgeon's Plight"
Read the pungent comments of Atiq Rehman, MD, surgeon in practice at Baptist Memorial Golden Triangle Hospital, Columbus, Mississippi. He describes the world as it is, and offers new challenges to the system. Someone take heed!
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/newsandviews/inmyopinion/articles/article-54.html
And send your reactions to the In My Opinion Discussion Forum today:
http://forums.ctsnet.org/ctsnet/forum.jspa?forumID=8
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***CLINICAL RESOURCES***
VIDEOS
Bender Video Available
"Right Atrial Myxoma" by Dr. Edward M. Bender of Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/clinicalresources/videos/index.html
Two Videos Posted
Two New Videos by Dr. A. Sampath Kumar of New Delhi, India, are available for viewing. They are entitled "Repair of Total Anomalous Venous Connection" and "Repair of Ebstein's Anomaly." Access both on the video home page:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/clinicalresources/videos/index.html
THORACIC LITERATURE WATCH - Quarter 1, 2005
The first quarter Literature Watch, compiled by Dr. Mark Ferguson, has been posted:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/clinicalresources/literaturewatch/thoracic_litwatch/article-13.html
HISTORICAL CHAPTER
Another chapter in the "Historical Heritage in Cardiovascular Medicine: A Collection of Images" by Drs. Roberto Lorusso and W. Randolph Chitwood, Jr. has been posted: Historical Medical Books. This excellent series is made available through an educational grant from Edwards Lifesciences. Access:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/clinicalresources/images/historicimages/index.html
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***ORGANIZATIONS***
CTSNET PERSONNEL CHANGES
Dr. Mary Greene has resigned her position at CTSNet to complete her MBA degree. We will certainly miss her, and wish her good health and happiness as she moves on.
Our new Managing Publisher is Ray Everngam:
http://www.ctsnet.org/home/reverngam
Ray has an impressive background, and we are fortunate to have successfully recruited him for CTSNet. A brief biosketch follows:
"Ray Everngam is Managing Publisher at CTSNet. His areas of interest include the development of Web-based communities of biomedical researchers, innovative technologies for online publication and distribution of biomedical research information, development of technologies for improving the physician/patient interface, and the development of standards for preparing scientific research materials for online distribution. Everngam has presented on these topics at meetings sponsored by the Society for Scholarly Publishing, the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers, the Council of Science Editors, and at publishing summits sponsored by HighWire Press. Before joining CTSNet, he was Director of Publications at the American Society for Cell Biology, where he directed the implementation of innovative versions of Molecular Biology of the Cell and Cell Biology Education. Before that, he was Associate Director of Content Development at Galisteo Research Technologie!
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s Group, where he oversaw the development of new models of scientific journal publications using innovative, web-based technologies. He has served as Executive Vice-President of Product Development at HealthCite, a web-based publisher of medical information and peer-reviewing services; Vice President of Operations for Community of Science, overseeing the development of online authoring tools for researchers; and Associate Executive Director, Communications for the Entomological Society of America. He holds a B.A. in political science and a B.A. in philosophy from Susquehanna University, and a M.A. degree from George Washington University."
We invite members to stop by the CTSNet booth at the Barcelona meeting and other future meetings to meet Ray in person.
STS MEETING WEBCAST
The full webcast of the January 2005 STS Annual Meeting held in Tampa, Florida, is now available for viewing:
http://www.sts.org/2005webcast/
STS LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY WORKSHOP
September 13-15, 2005 at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, DC, the Society will present its first Legislative Advocacy Workshop, a one-and-a-half day meeting devoted to helping members learn how to advocate on issues relevant to the specialty inside the Beltway. Through panel discussions, individual meetings with senators and representatives, and a congressional reception on Capitol Hill, STS members will learn to lead efforts to effect change in health policy legislation; Act today to sustain the specialty tomorrow; and Win policy debates in Washington to help serve patients nationwide. For program and registration information, visit
http://www.sts.org/sections/education/Legislative%20Advocacy%20Workshop
To make hotel arrangements at the St. Regis, please call 1 (202) 638-2626, and be sure to mention the "STS Legislative Conference" for a reduced rate.
NEW CTSNet MEMBER ORGANIZATION
We are pleased to announce that the Austrian Society for Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery has joined the CTSNet community as a member organization. The Society has in excess of 200 members. A native language website is available - http://www.herz-thorax.at. Soon an English website will be developed.
Current officers are:
President: Michael Rolf Mueller, Vienna
Past President: Guenther Laufer, Innsbruck
Secretary General: Franz Eckersberger, Vienna
Secretary: Roland Schistek, Salzburg
Treasurer: Bruno Rigler, Graz
We offer a warm welcome to this new member of the CTSNet family.
AATS FREESTANDING POSTGRADUATE COURSE
Registration is now open! The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Freestanding Postgraduate Course, Valvular Heart Disease 2005: Advanced Surgical and Interventional Therapies, September 9-11, 2005 (Chicago). Register now for the course at:
http://aats.prri.com/registration.cgi
Access the Preliminary Program and Hotel Information at:
http://www.aats.org/
WTS MENTORING PROGRAM
The first phase of the Women in Thoracic Surgery mentoring program has been launched on WTSNet. Forty-six percent of the WTS membership has signed up to become a mentor! The biographies of these individuals are available on the Website for young faculty, residents and students to peruse: to assist them in finding a mentor. Reading materials about mentoring are also on the Website. WTS appreciates the leadership of Dr. Cindy Herrington on this important initiative. For more information:
http://www.ctsnet.org/file/WTSaboutMentors122004.pdf
AmSECT JOINS CTSNET
We are very pleased to announce that the American Society for Extra-Corporeal Technology (AmSECT) has joined CTSNet as a member organization. Founded in 1964, AmSECT has over 2000 perfusionist members worldwide. Check their website:
http://www.AmSECT.org
IMPORTANT ABTS INFORMATION
The 2005 Part I (written) examination of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) will be given on December 5, 2005 at multiple sites throughout the United States using an electronic format. Additional information will be sent to candidates after approval of their application. The deadline for receipt of completed applications at the ABTS office is August 1, 2005. Failure to meet that deadline will result in a delay of at least one year. Incomplete or inaccurate applications will be returned without processing. Individuals requiring special consideration because of a disability should notify the Board at least 60 days prior to the August 1 deadline. Questions regarding the application process should be addressed to the Board office at 633 N. Saint Clair St, Suite 2320, Chicago, IL 60611. For more information:
http://www.abts.org/
CTSNET REDESIGN NOTES
The website is set up so you can access links in the banner and the left menu throughout the site. This will help you move around more readily. The center part of each page is where you will find new content and important announcements. The far right column is where you will find links to related content or other materials.
The CTSNet home page is designed to help you find new content quickly. The four most recent "headlines" are posted at the top. At times the four headline postings change rather quickly, so we suggest you make it a habit to also click on the "More Headlines" button, to make sure you have not missed any announcements.
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***RESIDENTS SECTION***
NEW PRESIDENT OF TSRA
Dr. John Mehall of the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio was recently elected President of the Thoracic Surgery Residents Association (TSRA).
CTSNET JOB CENTER
It is easily available, widely used and frequently sought. It is probably the most often used service of its kind anywhere for CT surgeons. So far this year - 2005 - job center activities have generated 343,913 page views. The site is in the top 5 of CTSNet's most visited resources:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/newsandviews/jobs/index.html
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THORACIC SURGERY is pleased to announce a newly formed Resident Traveling Fellowship program established to broaden the educational experience of residents in their final year of an ACGME-approved cardiothoracic surgical training program.
The fellowship will provide recipients with an opportunity to train for a week at one or more institutions of their choice and also include travel and accommodations to attend the AATS 2006 Annual Scientific Meeting scheduled for April 29 to May 3 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
View the award criteria at:
http://awards.prri.com/index.cgi?acode=AATS&action=More&awardID=8
and access an application on the AATS website:
http://aats.org
Cardiothoracic Surgery Residents in their final year of training are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is AUGUST 15, 2005, so start your online application now:
http://awards.prri.com/forms.cgi?awardID=8
PIONEER INTERVIEW
The last of the interviews (#9) conducted with Pioneers in our specialty by Dr. W. Gerald Rainer is with Dr. Ake Senning. Enjoy this interchange, as well as all the interviews in this remarkable series:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/residents/pioneerinterviews/index.html
The EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR CARDIO-THORACIC SURGERY (EACTS) has published 2 resident polls on the Trainee website:
http://www.eacts.org/juniors/
One is a poll conducted by the Trainee Resource Group on the Impact of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) on resident training. View the PowerPoint show at:
http://www.ctsnet.org/file/EWTDimpactsurveyresults.ppt
The other is a poll conducted by The Congenital Heart Disease Committee and offers an insight into the views of trainees and senior surgeons on how to modify Congenital Cardiac Surgery training programmes. View at:
http://www.ctsnet.org/file/EACTScongenitaltrainingsurvey.ppt
This is important information for residents and program directors everywhere.
AATS Section for Residents and Medical Students
Please visit the AATS newly-updated Section for medical students and residents.
http://www.aats.org/MSSR/MSSR.html
This section has been developed to provide information and resources for the education and training of students and surgical residents who are interested in pursuing a Thoracic Surgery residency, and ultimately a career in cardiothoracic surgery.
NEW HORIZONS
Dr. Constantine Mavroudis of Childrens Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, has written an essay contributing to the New Horizons Section of the Residents Page on why he thinks cardiothoracic surgery is a rewarding career choice for young physicians. Access "The Joys and the Value of a Career in Cardiothoracic Surgery" here:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/residents/newhorizons/article-5.html
FOR CT SURGERY RESIDENTS: The "Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Core Curriculum Review" provides comprehensive preparation for Part I of the ABTS Boards, to be given in September, 2005. For further information:
http://www.corereview.org/
CASE PRESENTATIONS
Please send your "Interesting Case Presentations" to Dr. Thourani (vthoura@emory.edu). Instructions for submission are available here:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/residents/articles/article-.html
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***JOURNALS***
The July issues of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, the Asian Cardiovascular & Thoracic Annals, the European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery, The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, and the Interactive CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery are now available online.
POSITION STATEMENT ON PERCUTANEOUS VALVE TECHNOLOGY
A Position Statement on the clinical development of percutaneous heart valve technology has been published. It represents the combined deliberations of the STS, AATS, and the SCAI (Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions), and has been endorsed by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. Access at:
http://jtcs.ctsnetjournals.org/cgi/content/full/129/5/970
July's selection for the European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery (EJCTS) "open access" article is:
Julian Hance, Rajesh Aggarwal, Rex Stanbridge, Christopher Blauth, Yaron Munz, Ara Darzi, and John Pepper
Objective assessment of technical skills in cardiac surgery
Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2005;28:157-162.
http://ejcts.ctsnetjournals.org/cgi/content/full/28/1/157
Note that Editorials, Images and Letters are all open access in EJCTS.
http://ejcts.ctsnetjournals.org/
The August issue of ICVTS is posted and is completely open-access http://icvts.ctsnetjournals.org/current.dtl. Join the ICVTS discussion in the Interactive Area: http://icvts.ctsnetjournals.org/papbyrecent.dtl
ANNALS OF THORACIC SURGERY JULY 2005: Chen et al: Alternate Waiting List Strategies for Heart Transplantation Maximize Donor Organ Utilization
In this month's Annals, Chen et al present an argument in favor of acceptance of marginal organ donors for heart transplantation. While this concept is not new, these authors are pushing the envelope so to speak in an attempt to overcome some of the waiting list problems that currently complicate transplantation. In fact there has been a lot of attention in the lay press as well due to the potential emotional aspects.
Adults undergoing heart transplantation from January 1, 2001, through April 15, 2004, were evaluated. Selected patients who did not meet criteria for standard listing for heart transplantation were offered alternate listing. Extended criteria delineating "marginal" donors included hepatitis C seropositivity, hepatitis core immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody positivity, significant electrocardiographic or echocardiographic abnormalities (including diminished systolic function [ejection fraction <45%], wall motion abnormalities, moderate valvular disease (2+ or greater valvular insufficiency, valvular stenosis [qualitative]), left ventricular hypertrophy [qualitative], and cardiomegaly [qualitative]), coronary artery disease (>20% stenosis by angiogram), advanced age (>50 years), size mismatch greater than a ratio of 2:1, two or more risk factors for coronary disease (age >55 years, history of smoking or hypertension), and in a donor hospital without cardiac catheterization capabi!
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lities.
Thirty-seven patients (14.3%) met alternate list criteria. Among these alternate list patients, contraindications to standard listing included age greater than 65 years, amyloidosis, severe diabetes mellitus and peripheral vascular disease, human immunodeficiency virus, and high-risk retransplant. Survival analysis revealed no post-transplant survival advantage for standard list recipients; however, mean ventilatory support time was significantly (p < 0.001) longer in the alternate list group (5.7 ± 9.3 days) compared with the standard group (2.3 ± 4.2 days), and significantly more sternal wound infections (p = 0.03) were observed in the alternate list group (6 [16.2%]) compared with the standard group (13 [5.9%]). The authors concluded that:
1. The alternate list patients demonstrated comparable survival with standard list patients, but did exhibit more ventilatory dependence and sternal wound infections.
2. More than half of alternate list donor organs in the future could be considered for standard list candidates as well.
3. Use of the alternate list reinforces the assertion that, even today, our donor criteria remain too stringent.
This is an important paper and the strategy proposed (and documented as successful) has implications for all transplant teams. Read the article at: http://ats.ctsnetjournals.org/cgi/content/full/80/1/224
and add your comments and experience to this Dilemma in Adult Cardiac Surgery Discussion Forum:
http://forums.ctsnet.org/ctsnet/thread.jspa?threadID=1444&tstart=0
THE BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY announces a new electronic system for the submission, evaluation and follow-up of manuscripts. The software system was developed in Brazil, and is very reliable. The manuscript submission address is:
http//:www.rbccv.org.br
We encourage cardiovascular surgeons to submit articles to the Brazilian Journal.
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***DISCUSSIONS***
CTSNet Surgeons Forums have been migrated to a new and more powerful discussion forum application named Jive. Though all threads and messages from the old system were able to be migrated, individual user profile settings, including forum and thread subscription notification, or "watchlists" were not.
The procedure to set up e-mail notification of a new posting to a forum is the following:
(1) Go to the listing of all the forums:
http://forums.ctsnet.org/ctsnet/index.jspa
(2) Select the forum that you want to follow: e.g. Dilemmas in Adult Cardiac Surgery
(3) On the Action line, select "Watch Options"
(4) Repeat the above process for each forum you wish to monitor
(5) To stop the monitoring, go to the forum(s) Action line and click on "Stop Watching Forum"
Within each Forum, you can monitor by e-mail a particular topic thread ("Watch this thread") or a particular contributor ("Watch this user") using the same process as above.
Update Your Control Panel settings, including the frequency for receiving e-mail notifications:
http://forums.ctsnet.org/ctsnet/usersettings!default.jspa
Please send your comments, issues and suggestions for the Surgeons Forums to support@ctsnet.org.
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***TRANSITIONS***
CLARENCE DENNIS
An early prominent cardiac surgeon, Clarence Dennis, died July 12, 2005 in St. Paul, Minnesota at the age of 96. His accomplishments are well documented in the Pioneer Interview with Dr. W. Gerald Rainer:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/residents/pioneerinterviews/article-4.html
At the recently concluded meeting of the WESTERN THORACIC SURGICAL ASSOCIATION (WTSA) the following slate of officers for 2005-2006 was announced:
President - R. Scott Mitchell
Vice-President - Elliot T. Gelfand
Secretary - John A. Hawkins
Treasurer - Robbin G. Cohen
Past-President - Steven W. Guyton
Editor - Andrew S. Wechsler
Historian - Marvin Pomerantz
Councillors
David M. Follette
J. Scott Millikan
Colleen F. Sintek
Arthur N. Thomas
The SOCIETY FOR HEART VALVE DISEASE biennial meeting was held in Vancouver, BC, Canada, June 17-20, 2005. Blase Carabello MD gave the Presidential Address entitled "Heart Valve Disease: Where Is the Data?" Robert W. M. Frater MD gave the Honored Lecture entitled "The Mitral Paradigm."
New Elected Officers are:
President-elect: Tirone David
Secretary/Treasurer: John Pepper
Editor: Endre Bodnar
Council Members:
W.R. Eric Jamieson
Reiner Koerfer
Daniel Loisance
Hikaru Matsuda
Friedrich Mohr
Gaetano Thiene
Sir Magdi H. Yacoub
Ajit Yoganathan
New President of TSRA
Dr. John Mehall of the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio was recently elected President of the Thoracic Surgery Residents Association (TSRA).
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***ABSTRACT DEADLINES***
August 8, 2005: THE SOCIETY OF THORACIC SURGEONS (STS), New Orleans, Louisiana
September 2, 2005: THE AUSTRALASIAN SOCIETY OF CARDIAC AND THORACIC SURGEONS (ASCTS), Sunshine Coast Queensland, Australia
November 5, 2005: THE SOCIETY OF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGEONS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND (SCTS), Dublin, Ireland
December 20, 2005: The EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY (ESCVS), St Petersburg, Russia
For more meeting abstract deadlines:
http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/newsandviews/eventpages/events_abstractdeadlines.cfm
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***AUGUST MEETINGS***
The 7th biennial SOCIETY OF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGEONS FORUM 2005 will be held August 5-8, 2005, at the Zambezi Sun Hotel, Zambia.
For information, contact:
Robert Kleinloog, Westville Heart Centre, Phone: 0825737424, Fax: 031 2651208, Email: kleinl@iafrica.com. Additional information at:
http://www.sawebs.co.za/sctssa
The 54th Annual Meeting of the SCANDINAVIAN ASSOCIATION FOR THORACIC SURGERY (SATS) and the 25th Meeting of the SCANDINAVIAN ASSOCIATION FOR EXTRA-CORPOREAL TECHNOLOGY (SCANSECT) will be held August 25-27, 2005, in Bergen, Norway. For more details:
http://flimra.intermedia.uib.no
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***FUTURE MEETINGS***
Congential Heart Surgeons' Society Annual Meeting to be held September 17-18, 2005, at the Sheraton Buenos Aires Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, immediately prior to the Fourth World Congress in Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery. For more information on the meeting visit
http://www.chss.org
The Ninth PEDIATRIC INTERVENTIONAL CARDIAC SYMPOSIUM (PICS-IX) and third EMERGING NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN CONGENITAL HEART SURGERY (ENTICHS-III) will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on September 15-18, 2005. Last year’s course was a huge success with more than 700 attendees from nearly 50 countries. This year’s course is being held immediately preceding the World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery. This will give the attendees an opportunity to attend both meetings at a reduced price. More information at:
http://www.picsymposium.com/
The 4th EACTS/ESTS Joint Meeting, 24-28 September 2005 to be held in Barcelona, Spain. Registration details are available at
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9731
For further details on the meeting, please refer to:
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9727
The 5th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON PERFUSION, EDUCATION AND TRAINING, CCIB, will be held September 24 in Barcelona, Spain. Information: The European Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and Cardiovascular Perfusion, City Hospital Triemli Zurich, Birmensdorferstrasse 497, 8063 Zurich, Switzerland, Tel +41 1 466 2189, fax +41 1 466 2745, Email: gravesebcp@gmx.ch, website:
http://www.ebcp.org/
The PENNSYLVANIA ASSOCIATION OF THORACIC SURGERY 42nd Annual Meeting will be held September 29 - October 2, 2005 at Elbow Beach Resort, Bermuda. To request information or submit abstract please contact: Director, Mary Ann Wertan, RN, email: WertanM@mlhs.org, ph: 610.89.9255 x 231 or contact Rohinton J. Morris, MD, Program Chairman or Joseph Bavaria, MD, President. Abstract Deadline: JULY 8, 2005.
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF EXTRA-CORPOREAL TECHNOLOGY Thirteenth Annual Symposium on New Advances in Blood Management will be held at the Westin Crown Center, Kansas City, MO, September 29–October 1, 2005.
The THIRD INTERNATIONAL CARDIAC OUTREACH CONFERENCE
Hosted by International Children's Heart Foundation and sponsored by The WORLD HEART FOUNDATION will be held in Memphis, TN, 21-22 October 2005. Mark your calendars!
More details coming soon.
2005 AUSTRALASIAN SOCIETY OF CARDIAC AND THORACIC SURGEONS (ASCTS) Meeting, Tuesday 25 - Sunday 30 October 2005, Sunshine Coast Queensland, Australia. For information, contact: Taylored Images, PO Box 247, Ashgrove, Queensland, Australia 4060, phone: 61 7 3366 2205; FAX: 61 7 3366 5170; e-mail: 2005ascts@tayloredimages.com.au. Deadline for abstracts: Friday 02 September 2005. For more information see:
http://www.tayloredimages.com.au/ascts2005/
The Fifth TRIENNIAL BRIGHAM CARDIAC VALVE SYMPOSIUM will be held October 26-28th, 2005 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston, MA. This is a multidimensional 2-day lecture and panel discussion course on valve surgery involving cardiologists and cardiac surgeons. For information, contact: Norman Shostak, Harvard Medical School-CME, 21 Landmark Center, 2nd Floor West, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, Phone: 1 617 384-8611, Fax: 1 617 384-8686, Email: norman_shostak@hms.harvard.edu
More information and the program available at:
http://www.cme.hms.harvard.edu/index.asp?SECTION=CLASSES&ID=251558&SO=N
The SOUTHERN THORACIC SURGICAL ASSOCIATION (STSA) 52nd Annual Meeting will be held November 10-12, 2005, at the Disney Yacht & Beach Club, Orlando, Florida. See STSA website for further details:
http://www.stsa.org/
Click to view the STSA program in Orlando:
http://www.ctsnet.org/abstractsprogram/stsa/856?view=displayoverview&Req
The 10th Anniversary Congress of the BELGIAN ASSOCIATION FOR CARDIO-THORACIC SURGERY will be held 19 November 2005 at the Sodehotel-Woluwe, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium. Invited speakers are Andrew S. Wechsler, Philadelphia, and Joel D. Cooper, St. Louis. More information available either at the BACTS website:
http://www.bacts.org
or the Congress website:
http://www.medicongress.com/bacts/registration.php
The 17th Biennial Congress of ASSOCIATION OF THORACIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR SURGEONS OF ASIA (ATCSA) will be held at the Makati Shangri-la Hotel, Manila, Philippines, November 20-23, 2005. For more information:
http://www.atcsa.org
The INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR MINIMALLY INVASIVE CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY (ISMICS) Winter Workshop will be held December 2-4, 2005, in Shanghai, China. Watch this site for further details:
http://www.ismics.org/doc/9829
A SYMPOSIUM on The Management of Early Lung Cancer sponsored by the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, will be held on Friday, December 9, 2005. For details on registration, lodging, and a copy of the program, please contact Joanne Clifton,
Tel: (604) 875-5355
Fax: (604) 875-4036
Email: joanne.clifton@vch.ca
THE SOCIETY OF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGEONS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND will be held in Dublin, Ireland March 13-16, 2006. The online abstract system will be open from September 1 until November 5, 2005. Further information:
http://www.scts.org/
The BRAZILIAN CONGRESS OF CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY will be held in Salvador (Bahia) Brazil, March 29 - April 1, 2006. Abstract deadline is October 15, 2005. Accepted abstracts will be published in the Brazilian Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery, in Portuguese in the print version and in Portuguese and English in the electronic version. Manuscripts (complete for publication) of the ACCEPTED presentations must be sent to the Society (Rua Beira Rio 45, 7th floor, São Paulo, Brazil ZIP 04548-050) by February 15, 2006.
The 55th International Congress of The EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY will be held May 11-14, 2006 in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. The abstract submission deadline is DECEMBER 20, 2005. For information, please contact: Prof. Claudio Muneretto, Secretary General – European Society for Cardiovascular Surgery, UDA Cardiochirurgia – Spedali Civili, P.le Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy, Phone: + 39 030 3996401; Fax: + 39 030 3996096; Email: munerett@master.cci.unibs.it Additional information:
http://www.escvsannualcongress.org
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A query has come to us asking why, in an article published in a CTSNet-affiliated journal that has several CTSNet member-authors, some authors may have hyperlinks to their home pages while others do not. This is because for the hyperlinks to occur, the name on the home page and the name on the article must be exactly the same: John D. Doe in one place and JD Doe will not work. Please bear this in mind when submitting manuscripts.
And speaking of publishing, we would remind you if you publish a scholarly paper on CTSNet, you should cite it in your CV. Style manuals and Index Medicus have been haggling about the proper format for several years, principally because, unlike print, net papers can be modified from time to time. Therefore, the citation should include the date of (a) posting or of modification, and/or (b) date of access when quoted as a reference. This assures that the proper iteration of the paper is being cited.
For your reference in your own CV:
Song, HK and Puskas, JD. Recent Advances in Surgery for Atrial Fibrillation. Available at http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/newsandviews/specialreports/article-1.html. Posted December 31, 2003.
For an author quoting your reference in the bibliography of his or her paper:
Song, HK and Puskas, JD. Recent Advances in Surgery for Atrial Fibrillation. Available at http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/newsandviews/specialreports/article-1.html. Posted December 31, 2003. Accessed February 6, 2004.
As time passes, more and more net references will be found in CVs, and they will be considered seriously by promotion committees, just as print articles are now.
We thank all those members who have sent your photos for posting on your home page. It does make such a difference when curious fellow-members can eyeball you. For those who have not yet done so, we urge you to send a photograph soon. We prefer a jpeg file attached to an e-mail, but will accept other types (bitmap, gif). Or simply send us a wallet-sized glossy print to the address below.
Update your home page periodically. The tool is very simple to use. When others are curious enough about you to go to the member list and click on your home page, they are disappointed when there is no picture, and the page is largely blank. You have had that same experience, and so know what we are talking about. See http://www.ctsnet.org/sections/members/index.html
For those of you attending the SCANDINAVIAN ASSOCIATION FOR THORACIC SURGERY and the SCANDINAVIAN ASSOCIATION FOR EXTRA-CORPOREAL TECHNOLOGY August 25-27 in Bergen, Norway, be sure to stop by the CTSNet booth for a chat with Maud Zingmark and a picture for your home page.
Thomas B. Ferguson, M.D.
Senior Editor
Carol L. Blasberg
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