Here is a summary of the new happenings in December, 2004. We wish each and every one of you a happy, healthy NEW YEAR!
WHAT'S NEW:
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Registration is now open for the 85th Annual Meeting of the AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THORACIC SURGERY (AATS). The meeting will be held at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco, CA, April 10-13, 2005. To register NOW for the Annual Meeting, go HERE:
http://ww7.expocard.com/shows/aat051/
To make hotel reservations through the AATS Housing Bureau, go HERE:
http://reg.itsmeetings.com/its/0504aatsfo/11.asp?group=Null&FName=&LName=&Title=&Comp=&Addr1=&Addr2=&City=&State=&Zip=&Cntry=&Phone=&Fax=&Email=&PaxID1=&PaxID2=
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A webcast demonstrating the use of robotics in minimally invasive mitral valve surgery will be broadcast at 5:00 PM (EST), Tuesday, January 18, 2005. The hour-long webcast will feature Dr. W. Randolph Chitwood, Jr. performing a mitral valve repair using the daVinci Surgical System. Dr. Wiley Nifong will serve as moderator. Drs. Chitwood and Nifong are cardiothoracic surgeons associated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and with University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina. For more information, visit this website:
http://www.or-live.com/PittCounty/1278/
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The Bookstore at http://www.ctsnet.org/bookstore/ now has available the new Edition of Sabiston & Spencer's SURGERY OF THE CHEST. Co-authors are Drs. Frank Sellke, Scott Swanson, and Pedro del Nido. Send for your copy today!
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PIONEER INTERVIEWS takes a look back at the history of cardiac surgery through Dr. W. Gerald Rainer's talks with nine leaders in the field from the past half-century. His newest interview, the sixth, with Dr. Gerard Brom, is now available:
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9776
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NEW HORIZONS IN CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY, edited by Dr. Walter Merrill, features articles dedicated to "generating interest in cardiothoracic surgery among medical students and residents." In the fourth article, Dr. W. Gerald Rainer speaks to his son in "Dear Bill":
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9789
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Doctor S. Thomas Rayburn, III, of Little Rock, Arkansas, has contributed a new Adult Cardiac Experts' Technique entitled "Electrical Isolation of the Pulmonary Veins With Bipolar Radio Frequency Ablation on the Beating Heart." View his article here:
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9689
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Doctors Federico Venuta, Erino A. Rendina, and Tiziano de Giacomo, Department of Thoracic Surgery, University of Rome "La Sapienza" have submitted a new Thoracic Surgery Experts' Techniques contribution entitled "Airway Stenting." Read the article here:
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9690
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A video contributed by Doctors Pierluca Lombardi, Marco Ricci, Fuad Moussa, and Tomas A. Salerno of the University of Miami, Miami, Florida, entitled "Aortic Valve Replacement in a Beating Heart" is available for viewing:
http://www.ctsnet.org/realmedia/vidgal/vg2004_lombardi.ram
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In the Galleries Section of the left menu, a wonderful new collection of Historic Images has been made available to CTSNet. A project undertaken by CTSNet History Editors Drs. Roberto Lorusso Cardiac Surgery Unit, Civic Hospital, Brescia, Italy, and W. Randolph Chitwood, Jr., Chief, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, and generously supported by an educational grant from EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES, is entitled "Historical Heritage in Cardiovascular Medicine: A Collection of Images," and consists of 13 Sections on various topics. The first section posted is entitled "The Anatomical Dissections":
http://www.ctsnet.org/historicimages/
Other Sections will be added over time. Enjoy this magnificent tribute to medical history!
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The Interactive CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery (ICVTS) on-line is now fully integrated into the CTSNet journal collection on HighWire Press. To participate and look around the new journal website, use this address:
http://icvts.ctsnetjournals.org/
As always, your eComments on papers published are most welcome - go to the Interactive Section of the site. There are many new features and services to discover. Our mission is still the same:
http://icvts.ctsnetjournals.org/misc/about.dtl
ICVTS will be published by EACTS in 2005. ICVTS stays an 'open-access' journal and print copies will continue to be sent to all members of EACTS, ESTS and ESCVS.
Ludwig von Segesser (Editor-in-Chief) and Ian Beecroft (Managing Editor)
ICVTS Editorial Office
av. Gd. St. Bernard 69B (app. 6)
CH-1920 Martigny
Switzerland
tel: +41 27 7236171
fax: +41 27 7236173
e-mail: ian.beecroft@ejcts.ch
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One of the features of interest on our website is REUTERS News. Every day we cull news stories we feel are important to our readers. These are posted daily, and are archived for a week at:
http://www.ctsnet.org/reuters/
Get the REUTERS habit!
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The American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) 2005 In-Training Examination date will be Saturday, April 16, 2005. The back-up date will be April 23, 2005. The fee for each candidate will be $200. Beginning in 2005, access to the back-up exam date will be more strictly limited to those experiencing technical problems during the initial exam date. Access may be denied to programs and candidates who have not made previous arrangement with the ABTS to take the exam on the back-up date. Registration materials will be sent next week; program chairs and coordinators should watch for them. For additional information, contact the ABTS website: http://www.abts.org/
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IN MY OPINION
In this month's IMO, Dr. Vincent A. Gaudiani of Redwood City, CA, offers his comments on the increasing importance of quality assurance in medicine, and particularly cardiac surgery. Read his essay, entitled "Comprehensive Quality Assurance for Cardiac Surgery," found at:
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9784
And then participate in the Discussion:
http://www.ctsnet.org/fusetalk/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=20000887
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INNOVATION CENTERS
Arrhythmia Center
Editor Dr. John P. Boineau, has contributed an article entitled "A Less Complex Substrate" http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9423
and Editor Krishna Khargi has added a Commentary on Dr. Boineau's article:
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9788
Also Editor Jos Maessen has contributed an essay entitled "Ablation of the Electrophysiological Substrate:" A New Treatment Modality for Atrial Fibrillation Ablation. http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9790
Read these articles, and then add your comments in the Discussion:
http://www.ctsnet.org/fusetalk/messageview.cfm?catid=91&threadid=20000899
Beating Heart Surgery Center
Editor Gianni Angelini comments on the details of the statement by the ISMICS Consensus Panel, titled "Update On The ISMICS Consensus Conference 2004: Meta-Analysis and Consensus Statement of Off-Pump versus Conventional Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery."
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9747
The full report is scheduled to be released before the end of the year.
Valve Technology Center
Doctors Edward H. Kincaid, Anthony Atala, and Section Editor Neal D. Kon, all from Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, have contributed a provocative article entitled "Tissue Engineered Heart Valves: A Potential Cure for Valvular Heart Disease."
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9749
Add your comments on this subject in the discussion:
http://www.ctsnet.org/fusetalk/messageview.cfm?catid=87&threadid=20000885
Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Center
The subject this month is MI endoharvesting. An Editor's Note by Dr. Vassilios Gulielmos entitled "Endoscopic Harvesting Leads Off, followed by Guest Commentaries by Drs. Utz Kappert of Dresden, Germany, accessed here:
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9568
and by Drs. V.A. Subramanian and James D. Fonger, of New York. Read their comments here:
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9567
and then join in the discussion:
http://www.ctsnet.org/fusetalk/messageview.cfm?catid=88&threadid=20000869
In addition, there is an important contribution from Prof. Andreas Liebold, Rostock, Germany, entitled "Mini-Perfusion Systems: Around the Corner?"
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9397
Also Dr. Kypson has contributed a Literature Review entitled "Clinical Experience with the Mini-Extracorporeal Circulation System: An Evolution or a Revolution?" Access at:
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9468
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RESIDENTS' SECTION
Dr. Vinod H. Thourani, Editor, is pleased to announce several new exciting features for the Section:
"PIONEER INTERVIEWS" takes a look back at the history of cardiac surgery through Dr. W. Gerald Rainer's talks with nine leaders in the field from the past half-century. http://www.ctsnet.org/residents/pioneer/ A full transcript and streaming audio are now available for the following interviews:
Dr. Henry Swan at http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9089
Dr. Dwight Harken: http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9398
Dr. Wilfred Bigelow: http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/8840
Dr. Clarence Crafoord: http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/8871
Dr. Clarence Dennis: http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9697
Dr. Clarence Brom: http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9776
NEW HORIZONS IN CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY edited by Dr. Walter Merrill, features articles dedicated to "generating interest in cardiothoracic surgery among medical students and residents." Four articles are now available:
(1) Dr. Nicholas Kouchoukos - "Why Become a Cardiac Surgeon?"
http://www.ctsnet.org/residents/new_horizons/kouchoukos.cfm
(2) Dr. Harold C. Urschel - "Let's Bring the Magic Back"
http://www.ctsnet.org/residents/new_horizons/urschel.cfm
(3) Dr. Denton C. Cooley - "A Critical Decision"
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9696
(4) Dr. W. Gerald Rainer - "Dear Bill"
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9789
He calls your attention to an announcement on the Resident's home page:
U. of Virginia Health System Announces a New General Thoracic Track available in July, 2006. More details at:
http://www.ctsnet.org/section/residents/
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SOCIETY NEWS
On-line registration is available NOW for The Society of Thoracic Surgeons 41st ANNUAL MEETING from January 24-26, 2005 in Tampa, Florida. Please visit
http://www.sts.org
For the first time in its 41-year history, the STS will present four live cardiothoracic surgical procedures. STS University, beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 26, will include courses and wet labs. The four live surgical procedures will be shown in the Tampa Convention Center’s main ballroom, and will include a director for each procedure. Delos M. Cosgrove, M.D. of the Cleveland Clinic will serve as the director for mitral valve repair; Todd Dewey, M.D. of Medical City Hospital in Dallas will be the director for thoracoscopic sympathectomy; Randall K. Wolf, M.D. of the University of Cincinnati will direct the surgery on minimally invasive atrial fibrillation ablation; and Mark W. Connolly, M.D. of the Newark, N.J.-based St. Michael’s Medical Center will be the director for endoscopic conduit harvest. All meeting participants are encouraged to attend these sessions, which will be shown from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday of the Annual Meeting.
You also will not want to miss these important sessions at the upcoming Annual Meeting:
1) Thomas B. Ferguson Lecture on Patient Safety by James P. Bagian, MD
2) New Session on Defining YOUR role in Mass Casualty Decision Preparedness
3) Town Hall Meeting on Patient Safety
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In the Newsletter http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9833 from the EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR CARDIO-THORACIC SURGERY (EACTS), Current President Torkel Aberg M.D. in his Presidential Letter, comments on the healthy state of the organization, and then makes this announcement: "Last February, Alessandro Ricchi, Sardinia, was killed in an air crash when returning to his hospital after harvesting a heart for transplantation. Council decided to install the Alessandro Ricchi Transplant Services Foundation Award in honour and recognition of all those who have died or have been injured during their clinical practice. The Award is €3,000 and will be given at the Joint Meeting to the best presentation within the subject of Transplantation Heart, Transplantation Lung, Cardiovascular or Thoracic Tissue and Cell Transplantation or Engineering."
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HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATIONS
During the past year, the World Heart Foundation (WHF) has continued in its efforts to enhance the ability of its 20 Affiliate Organizations to deliver cardiac surgery to children in developing countries and to improve the quality and quantity of that surgery. The formal agreement between the World Heart Foundation and CTSNet.org in the spring of 2004 led to the establishment of a new WHF website:
HTTP://www.world-heart.org
by Donald C. Watson, MD, Executive Director of the WHF, and Cheryl Cohen of Medbiquitous that has substantially increased the exposure of these WHF Affiliates to the specialty of Cardiothoracic Surgery. The WHF website, which connects its 20 Affiliates to CTSNet.org, received an average of 22,500 "hits" per month in its first 4 months.
WHF continues to maintain its International Cardiothoracic Volunteer Surgical Database and recently adopted a Quality Assurance Program for its Affiliates. A Projects Directory has been established to coordinate the activities of the Affiliates, as well as those of independent surgical teams, in an effort to increase their efficiency. The activities of the WHF and its Affiliates were updated and discussed at the annual 2-day International Cardiac Outreach Conference (ICOC) held this year in Washington, DC. The Third Annual ICOC will be held in Memphis in October 2005 in honor of the humanitarian accomplishments of Dr. William Novick of the International Children’s Heart Foundation, a WHF Affliate. Dr. Novick’s work with the children of survivors of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster was featured in an HBO film entitled "Chernobyl Heart," which won an Academy Award this year.
Major objectives of the World Heart Foundation for 2005 include the joint submission with Heart-to-Heart International and local/regional/national authorities of a grant proposal to the Hilton Foundation for the continued support and development of cardiac surgery in Russia, the establishment of three separate cardiac surgery training programs in China by WHF’s Special Projects Director, Dr. A. Thomas Pezzella, and assisting WHF Board Member, Dr. Robert L. Replogle, in the initiation of a formal process for standardizing the training of cardiothoracic surgeons internationally.
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JOURNALS
The December issues of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, The Asian Annals, the European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery, and the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery are now available online.
The Annals includes the STS/AATS Tech-Con 2005 and the 41st STS Annual Meeting Program at: http://ats.ctsnetjournals.org/content/vol78/issue6/#STS_ANNUAL_MEETING
In the European Journal, read Professor James Monro's Presidential Address entitled "The Next Challenge: Adapting to Change" presented at the Leipzig meeting:
http://ejcts.ctsnetjournals.org/cgi/content/full/26/6/1063
One of the many features of the CTSNet Journals collection is "e-mail a friend." This feature provides an easy to use interface that permits a reader to recommend an article by e-mail to a colleague. The colleague receives the friend's recommendation and a URL and citation for the article. It can be found in the newly designed content box on the title page of each article. Try it; it is free.
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DISCUSSION
In the December 2004 issue of The Annals, Dr. Kathleen Fenton and associates from Childrens Hospital, Omaha, Nebraska, present an analysis of the outcome of staged treatment for pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum. The authors point out that a large body of recent work has focused attention on outcome for the more commonly seen hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which has become our index lesion. This study investigates interim mortality in infants undergoing systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunts for PA.IVS. Thirty-five infants were classified into two groups, based on the presence of severe right ventricular hypoplasia. Hospital death occurred in 2 patients (9.1%), 1 with severe RV hypoplasia. The remaining 33 patients formed the study population. There were 5 deaths (15%) after discharge and before second-stage operation, all in patients with severe RV hypoplasia. Two patients, 1 with hypoplastic right ventricle, died after second-stage operation. These data confirm a significant incidence of interim death in infants with PA.IVS, similar to that in hypoplastic left heart syndrome if all patients are considered (15%), and somewhat higher (24%) if only patients with severe right ventricular hypoplasia are considered. The authors conclude that the incidence of interim death must be considered when different treatment options (such as shunt or transplant) are contemplated. This is a useful study that demonstrates that the long-term results for some subsets of PA.IVS may worse than HLHS, and there are implications for family counseling and resource allocation. Read the article here:
http://ats.ctsnetjournals.org/cgi/content/full/78/6/1994
and then add your comments and experience to this Dilemma in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery in the CTSNet Discussion Forum:
http://www.ctsnet.org/fusetalk/messageview.cfm?catid=9&threadid=20000907
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ABSTRACT DEADLINES
January 7, 2005: The WESTERN THORACIC SURGICAL ASSOCIATION (WTSA), Victoria, BC, Canada.
Submit: http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/5774
January 14, 2005: THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR ARTIFICIAL INTERNAL ORGANS (ASAIO) Washington, DC
Submit: http://www.call4abstracts.com/asaio
January 31, 2005: THE SOCIETY FOR HEART VALVE DISEASE, Vancouver, Canada.
Submit: http://www.shvd.org
February 1, 2005: WORLD SOCIETY OF CARDIO-THORACIC SURGEONS, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Submit: http://www.wscts-congress2005vilnius.org
February 15, 2005: EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY (ESCVS), Athens, Greece.
Submit: http://www.escvsannualcongress.org
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JANUARY MEETINGS
The 8th Annual NewEra Cardiac Care: Innovation & Technology meeting, co-chaired by W. Randolph Chitwood, Jr., MD and Mehmet C. Oz, MD, will be held January 7-9, 2005, at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, in Dana Point, California. For further information, please visit http://www.amainc.com/cardiac_care.html
The SOCIETY OF THORACIC SURGEONS 41st Annual Meeting will be held January 24-26, 2005 in Tampa, Florida. See http://www.sts.org/ for information about the meeting.
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FUTURE MEETINGS
The 13th Annual Meeting of the ASIAN SOCIETY FOR CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY will be held February 5-8, 2005, in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The venue is the Sheraton Chiang Mai (formerly the Westin Hotel). Address for information: Supreecha Tanamai, MD, Honorary Secretary, Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Rajavithi Hospital, 2 Rajavithi Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand: Tel: 662-354-8006; Fax: 662-354-8007; E-mail: office@ascvs2005.org Further details can be viewed at http://www.ascvs2005.org/
The 15th Annual Meeting of the SCANDANAVIAN SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH IN CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY (SSRCTS) will be held February 10-12, 2005, in Geilo, Norway. Abstracts due: December 15, 2004. For information, contact the website: http://www.ssrcts.org/ or J. Michael Hasenkam, President of SSRCTS, Tel.: 45 8949 5480, Fax: 45 8949 6016, Email: hasenkam@ki.au.dk
The 25th Annual San Diego CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY Symposium, chaired by Julie A. Swain MD, will be held February 10-13, 2005, at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina in San Diego, California. For further information, please visit
http://www.amainc.com/cref_cardiothoracic.html
The 34 Annual meeting of the GERMAN SOCIETY FOR THORACIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY will be held in Hamburg, Germany February 13-16, 2005. For further information, visit the website:
http://www.interplan.de/thorax05/eng/word_of_welcome.htm
The 2nd INTERDISCIPLINARY WORKSHOP FOR INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGISTS AND CARDIAC SURGEONS will be held February 24-25, 2005 at Innsbruck University Hospital, Innsbruck, Austria. More information accessed at:
http://www.icr-workshop.at
The SOCIETY OF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGEONS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND (SCTS) will hold its Annual Meeting in London, UK, March 5-8, 2005. For further information, please go to:
http://www.scts.org/
The WHISTLER BRITISH COLUMBIA CARDIAC TEAM MEETING will be held March 18-22, 2005. "Ski the Canadian Rockies." Special rates for hotel and registration prior to December 31, 2004. Abstract deadline Feb 17, 2005. For more information, visit:
http://www.cardiacteam.com/whistler/
The 5th BIENNIAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE PAKISTAN SOCIETY OF CARDIOVASCULAR AND THORACIC SURGEONS, and the 1st HEART SUMMIT OF EMERGENT COUNTRIES, Hosted By: PUNJAB INSTITUTE OF CARDIOLOGY, LAHORE, PAKISTAN, and supported by different national and international organizations, will be held March 27-29, 2005 in Lahore, Pakistan. The theme of the conference is "Development of Adult and Paediatric Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery in Emergent Countries." Experts and delegates around the world will get together to discuss challenges and issues they face in their locality, and share experiences and knowledge. The scientific sessions will cover the topics of Adult and Paediatric Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery. Appropriate scientific papers are requested. For details, see:
http://www.pakscts.com
The 85th Annual Meeting of the AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THORACIC SURGERY (AATS) will take place from April 10-13, 2005 at the Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, CA. For further details, please visit: http://www.aats.org/annualmeeting
The next Annual Meeting of the ISRAEL SOCIETY OF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY, in association with the ISREAL HEART SOCIETY, will take place on April 13-14, 2005, at the David Intercontinental Conference Center in Tel Aviv, Israel. The Keynote Speaker in Cardiac Surgery will be Prof. Stephen Westaby from Oxford, UK. His title is: "The Future of Cardiac Surgery - Where are we heading?" Further details about the meeting and abstract submission regulations and forms can be found at the Meeting's website:
http://www.congress.co.il/cardiology-cardiacsurgery05
The 54th International Congress of the EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY will be held May 19-22, 2005 at the Divani Caravel Hotel, Athens, Greece. Deadline for abstract submission: February 15, 2005. Deadline for early registration: March 15, 2005. Other particulars can be found on the website:
http://www.escvsannualcongress.org/
The 31st ANNUAL THORACIC REFRESHER COURSE will be held May 27-28, 2005 at the Sutton Palace Hotel Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Further details to follow. The brochure will be available online in January, 2005.
The 8th Annual Meeting of the INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR MINIMALLY INVASIVE CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY (ISMICS) will be held June 1-4, 2005 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, New York City. This year's meeting will feature hands-on sessions, live surgery broadcasts, and an enhanced exhibition with the latest techniques and technologies. For further information, please access:
http://www.ismics.org
The AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR ARTIFICIAL INTERNAL ORGANS (ASAIO) will hold its 51st Anniversary Conference June 9-11, 2005 in Washington, DC. The theme is "Enabling The Future Through Discovery & Innovation." The Conference is unique in scope with coverage of virtually all aspects of organ replacement, including existing therapies and the emerging technology for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and stem cells. ASAIO provides an ideal venue for interaction between physicians, scientists, biomedical engineers and clinical innovators. Abstracts are being accepted now at:
http://www.call4abstracts.com/asaio
The abstract deadline is January 14, 2005. Registration will begin online in February, 2005:
http://www.asaio.com
The Third Biennial Meeting of THE SOCIETY FOR HEART VALVE DISEASE will be held in Vancouver, Canada, June 17-20, 2005. The Society website is http://www.shvd.org. The abstract deadline is January 31, 2005, and abstract submissions are currently being accepted. The program and abstracts of the Second Biennial Meeting held in Paris, France in 2003 remains available on the Society website for your information. Abstract submission for Third Biennial Meeting:
http://www.shvd.org
The 15th World Congress of the WORLD SOCIETY OF CARDIO-THORACIC SURGEONS will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania June 19-23, 2005. Abstract submission and early registration close February 1, 2005. For more information, see http://www.wscts-congress2005vilnius.org/
The 31st Annual Meeting of the WESTERN THORACIC SURGICAL ASSOCIATION will be held June 22-25, 2005 at the Fairmont Empress Hotel, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Abstract submission opens November 12, 2004, and closes January 7, 2005. Check the WTSA website for more details: http://www.westernthoracic.org/
The 1st American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Stand-Alone Postgraduate Course will be held September 9-11, 2005 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago: Valvular Heart Disease: Advanced Surgical and Interventional Therapies; Director: Delos M. Cosgrove, III, MD; Medical Director: Martin B. Leon, MD; Contact: Megan Tainer, Meeting Manager, 978-927-8330, mtainer@prri.com
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
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. Deadline for abstract submission: 1st July 2005. Rules for abstract submission:
http://www.bacts.org/doc/181
More information available either at the BACTS website:
http://www.bacts.org
or the Congress website:
http://www.medicongress.com
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TRANSITIONS
Read the tribute to Dr. Donald B. Effler by his distinguished pupil and colleague, Dr. Floyd Loop at:
http://www.ctsnet.org/doc/9821
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PRODUCT FORUM
ST. JUDE MEDICAL provides CTSNet with videotapes of its 2004 Cardiac Surgery Residents’ Symposium Scientific Session. The first two presentations are posted:
John Hammon MD: "Neuroprotective Strategies for Cardiac Surgery"
http://www.ctsnet.org/symposia/Hammon-web.html
Todd Rosengart, MD: "Angiogenesis and Cellular Cardiomyoplasty"
http://www.ctsnet.org/symposia/Rosengart-web.html
3F THERAPEUTICS, INC. announces the 3F Aortic Bioprosthesis™ Heart Valve received the CE Marking of Conformity and has commenced commercial distribution. See the press release:
http://www.ctsnet.org/productforum/press/press.cfm?pid=926&pr=29
For more information, visit the 3F website:
http://www.3ftherapeutics.com
and the 3F Product Forum listing:
http://www.ctsnet.org/company/3ftherapeutics
CRYOCATH has posted brief audio clips of comments from leading opinion leaders at the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery (ISMICS) Conference held June 23-26, 2004 in London, England, speaking on the merits of New Approaches to the Surgical Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation.
http://www.ctsnet.org/cryocath/product/930
EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES announces the first U.S. implant of the PERIMOUNT Magna Heart Valve with ThermaFix Process:
http://www.ctsnet.org/productforum/press/press.cfm?pid=699&pr=28
The company has also added a new Magna Product Animation to its Carpentier-Edwards PERIMOUNT Magna Bioprosthesis listing:
http://www.ctsnet.org/realmedia/prodforum/814/45.ram
EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES, has provided CTSNet with content from its Fourth International Forum: Controversies and Innovations in Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology held early last year. Two more presentations have been posted:
Drs. Lishan Aklog: "Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation: Repair or Replace? Which Techniques? Which Ring?"
http://www.ctsnet.org/edwards/aklog/aklog.html
Dr. Delos Cosgrove: "The Changing Face of Aortic Valve Surgery"
http://www.ctsnet.org/edwards/cosgrove2/cosgrove2.html
BAXTER BioSurgical, a division of Baxter BioScience, posts its FloSeal Matrix Haemostatic Sealant as a Featured Product. Review the Instructions for Use, Clinical Trial information, Mechanism of Action Summary, and Educational Video:
http://www.ctsnet.org/baxter/product/931
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MEMBER SECTION
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/section/members/
We will be registering members and taking photos at the NewEra Cardiac Care 2005: Innovation and Technology Meeting in Dana Point, California, January 7-9, 2005. If you are attending this meeting, stop by and see us.
Also we look forward to seeing many of you at the STS meeting in Tampa, FL. Please stop by the CTSNet booth #0507-0509.
Thomas B. Ferguson, M.D.
Senior Editor
Carol L. Blasberg
Managing Editor
CTSNet
3108 Queeny Tower
Barnes-Jewish Hospital Plaza
St. Louis, MO 63110
Telephone: 1-314-361-6084
FAX: 1-314-367-0585
E-mail: ctsnet@wustl.edu
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