Issue 20 April News 2019 In this issue Future challenges and solutions 2 Multimedia Manual of Cardio-Thoracic in cardiothoracic surgery Surgery 4 The Adult An interview with EACTS President Ruggero De Paulis Cardiac p-to-the-minute training and continuing Database education in cardiothoracic surgery forms the 5 The Czech backbone of the profession’s rapidly evolving National Register future. This was the message of EACTS UPresident Ruggero De Paulis during a recent interview of Cardiac Surgery with EACTS News. “Our profession – and cardiac surgery in particular 6 Women in – is facing several challenges,” he began, noting that cardiothoracic exciting opportunities are borne in rising to meet surgery technological advancements. However, the emergence of new technologies 8 EACTS Training risks increasing both the global developmental gap Management along international socio-economic borders, and the System generational gap. “The learning curve is particularly important for the older generation of surgeons, who 9/10 will find it more difficult to adapt, and in turn may not EACTS residents effectively pass these teachings on to the younger represent in generation,” he said. Europe “In our everyday practice, we have seen a shift from 11 MEBCTS: the standard classic operation of old to a new era of challenge your minimally invasive surgery – including smaller incisions knowledge and procedures aided by robotics.” In the field of vascular and cardiac surgery, he added, 11 The EACTS endovascular procedures are increasingly popular, Residents and this is mirrored by the growth of transcatheter Committee techniques in cardiology. Today’s cardiac surgeon must wants YOU! therefore become well practised in both classic and interventional techniques. 12 An introduction Professor De Paulis went on: “The cardiac “We are dealing with cases to aortic surgery surgeon has to face up to learning these far more complicated than endovascular skills, both to ensure they are 13 MITACS 2019 equipped with a cutting-edge skillset in vascular in the past. This makes our heads to surgery, and to enable them to enter into the Frankfurt world of transcatheter valve technologies. The future challenging, but also 14 Cardiac surgeon is probably best placed to know the very interesting.” surgery: the anatomy of the cardiac valves, so again, obtaining Ruggero De Paulis Fundamentals these endovascular skills will make for a better surgeon overall.” 15 The Thoracic He added: “We are dealing with cases far more Academy complicated than in the past. This makes our future vascular surgery audience,” he said. “But the same programme challenging, but also very interesting.” transcatheter skills can also be useful to approach To step up to the challenges of modern-day practice, aortic valve replacements (and this will soon include 16 AVRS: June the EACTS/ESVS Endovascular Skills Course has been mitral valve replacements) which, at the moment, are 20–21, 2019 in specifically designed to help cardiac surgeons become mostly being done by cardiologists and to some extent Brussels acquainted with new technologies and techniques. cardiac surgeons.” Featuring a comprehensive review – and simulator To that end, endovascular skills must also be 18 The 33rd Annual training – in various aspects of the endovascular enshrined in residency courses, he added. “What Meeting treatment of aortic pathologies, it is a key step in the Association can do is set an example and offer 19 Nurses & helping young colleagues acquire endovascular skills, opportunities. But the true change has to be made Allied Health stressed Professor De Paulis. within each country. EACTS’ role is to help our Professionals Day “We are organising this mostly with transcatheter colleagues in different countries to lobby for these endovascular aortic repair in mind, i.e. for our Continued on page 2 20 EACTS 2019 April.indd 1 10/04/2019 09:47 2 EACTS News Association Future challenges and solutions in cardiothoracic surgery An interview with EACTS At this year’s Annual Meeting in Lisbon, point of view, to understand if results have a number of sessions will delve into the been properly interpreted, and determine President Ruggero De Paulis results of the latest clinical trials, with whether the conclusions are in line with Continued from page 1 emphasis placed on how to interpret the data.” things to take place.” their impact. Supported by the recently This year’s Annual Meeting continues to Professor De Paulis also spoke of established EACTS Analytical Support develop its three-day format with less overlap the opportunities in an increasingly Unit, the sessions will have particular between sessions and domains, and more interconnected world, with social media focus on boosting the knowledge of space given to the Techno-College. “We offering a means of rapidly sharing emerging statistical approaches in the cardiothoracic are trying to make it easier for people who knowledge. “The surgical community has community. “We need to better understand want to attend several sessions,” explained probably been too slow in adopting social how to properly interpret results, especially Professor De Paulis. media,” he said. “We can, for example, when new trials are published,” said “People have great interest in the cutting- share videos showcasing new techniques, or Professor De Paulis. edge technologies presented at the Techno- peculiar aspects of individual cases, or the College, but at the same time they are just results of research. as eager to attend the ‘regular’ sessions “This will change the way we communicate “What the Association we offer. This year, I think we can offer the – in fact, it is already happening. But it is not delegates the chance to attend every session the case for all generations; it comes more can do is set an they would like.” naturally to younger people. Furthermore, example and offer Professor De Paulis concluded by noting I believe it is something that could be that this year marks 500 years since the organised in a better way.” opportunities. But death of Leonardo da Vinci and, as a fitting More generally, he asserted, the the true change has tribute to his “genius of the past”, this year’s proliferation of data presents a pressing Annual Meeting will draw inspiration from need to find better ways of making sense of to be made within the polymath’s art and invention. “We are available clinical evidence. “With changes each country.” organising a plenary session devoted to in technology and different approaches, it some historical presentations on da Vinci, is becoming more difficult to make the right Ruggero De Paulis including everything he has done relating to choices,” he said. “We need to interpret the heart and, in particular, the aortic and results better and make evidence-based mitral valves. choices for our patients. Even though more “This is something that is becoming more “In addition, we hope to organise an information is emerging every day, at the and more important. In these sessions, we exhibition on da Vinci with some of his same time it is becoming less organised.” will discuss the latest trials from a statistical paintings and anatomical drawings.” Are you an MMCTS author? René Prêtre and Roberto Lorusso referenced studies, we just need video most challenging, and every tutorial Editors-in-Chief, MMCTS demonstrations of the procedures you has valuable lessons to teach. Many undertake every day. of our most highly viewed videos are he Multimedia Manual of Cardio- demonstrations of common procedures Thoracic Surgery (MMCTS) is Surgical demonstrations, not and basic skills, so don’t feel that you the world’s only dedicated video- complex studies need to wait for a rare case or particularly based educational platform for MMCTS isn’t a journal, it’s a teaching difficult surgery before you send us cardiothoracicT (CT) surgeons. Published by programme. We publish straightforward a proposal. EACTS as a free service to the worldwide video tutorials of CT surgical procedures. community of CT surgeons, it features Each of our tutorials typically includes 5 What’s so great about publishing nearly 300 step-by-step surgery tutorials, to 10 narrated video clips with concise with MMCTS? which demonstrate procedures from the supporting text, images, and no more than Publishing with MMCTS is fast, rewarding most fundamental to the most innovative. five references. Our submission system is and good for your CV. As an EACTS member, you are already easy to access and use, and our online a supporter of MMCTS, but are you one templates make creating a tutorial a We are a boutique, not a factory of our authors too? streamlined and efficient process. Your tutorial will be edited and formatted by an experienced team who will review and Become an MMCTS author Many of our top tutorials teach optimise every video, graphic and word. Joining our MMCTS family of authors fundamental skills If you need help with illustrations, we can may be easier than you realise. We’re not MMCTS tutorials cover procedures at recommend skilled medical illustrators to looking for one-of-a-kind cases or heavily all levels, from the most basic to the assist you. 20 EACTS 2019 April.indd 2 10/04/2019 09:47 EACTS News 3 Association marketing initiatives. Sharing functions on our MMCTS website and within YouTube make it easy for your tutorial to be shared through social media. MMCTS is PubMed indexed MMCTS tutorials are listed on PubMed, and our authors get a PubMed citation. Being on PubMed dramatically increases the discoverability of our content and is a true endorsement of quality from the US National Libraries of Medicine; only the best publications are accepted for indexing. Rewarding MMCTS is 100% educational and free. Surgeons from all over the world and at all levels of experience rely on MMCTS. Your MMCTS tutorial may be both the easiest thing you ever publish and, as a René Prêtre Roberto Lorusso true service to your fellow surgeons, the most worthwhile.