Endoscopic Cardiac Surgeons Club | Endoscopic Around the Globe—The Serbia Road to Endoscopic Cardiac Surgery

The Endoscopic Cardiac Surgeons Club is dedicated to raising global awareness of the benefits of endoscopic cardiac surgery among patients, surgeons, and industry partners. Stay tuned for more ECSC videos in the coming weeks.     

At the Endoscopic Cardiac Surgeons Club Meeting 2024, Dr. Svetozar Putnik, Director of Cardiac Surgery at the University Clinical Center of Serbia, and Milos Matkovic, a consultant cardiac and transplant surgeon at the University Clinical Center of Serbia delivered a presentation titled “Endoscopic Around the Globe—Serbia Road to Endoscopic.”  

In their presentation, they explored the learning curve associated with becoming an endoscopic surgeon, emphasizing that having previous high volume conventional surgery experience is an essential foundational element. They outlined the typic progression for mastering endoscopic techniques: starting with sternotomy, advancing to direct vision, followed by video-assisted approaches, and, ultimately, achieving proficiency in fully endoscopic methods. The discussion also highlighted the critical role of patient section and underscored that passion, commitment, and dedication are vital attributes for aspiring endoscopic surgeons. Additionally, they emphasized the importance of having a proctor and mentor.  

The Endoscopic Cardiac Surgeons Club promotes global awareness of the advantages of endoscopic cardiac surgery among patients, surgeons, and industry partners. A primary goal is to increase the safe and widespread adoption of endoscopic techniques in cardiac surgery, ultimately driving improvements in both short- and long-term outcomes for cardiac patients.   

The Club vision is to establish cardiac surgery as a specialty in which endoscopic methods are utilized more widely, improving surgical performance and patient outcomes. The Endoscopic Cardiac Surgeons Club operates as a not-for-profit organization.   

The annual meeting is a highly technical event featuring live cases and live in a box presentations of both endoscopic and robotic cardiac operations. The meeting is filled with discussions and participation of younger surgeons, who present their endoscopic work from around the world in the Endoscopic Video Competition.   

This year, for the first time, the meeting will take place in the United States from September 4-6, 2025, in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky.   

All are invited to attend the meeting and learn more about the Club.

Disclaimer

The information and views presented on CTSNet.org represent the views of the authors and contributors of the material and not of CTSNet. Please review our full disclaimer page here.