2^ND EACTS / ESTS Joint Meeting

Dear Members, Colleagues and Friends,

On behalf of the local organisers, we are proud to announce the second EACTS /
ESTS Joint Meeting which will be held in Vienna from 12-15 October 2003.

In 1987 Vienna hosted the first EACTS Meeting. Since then the Meeting has grown
from a small visionary group to one of the most successful professional meetings in
cardiothoracic surgery worldwide. In 2003 we will have the great pleasure to invite
you to the 17th Annual Meeting where we will host both organisations, EACTS and
ESTS.

Global health care is currently undergoing a drastic change. Socio-economic
restrictions, demographic changes and sophisticated less invasive methods are
concurring in the treatment of heart and lung diseases. Innovations and
achievements in cardiothoracic surgery and technology need a thorough evaluation
in the context of established therapies. Also the recurrence of old, almost forgotten
diseases like tuberculosis, again need to be drawn to our attention. The Meeting
and special symposia, as well as the technical exhibition, will give ample time to
study, exchange and to deliver ideas, results and innovations. This Joint Meeting
will help to gather a large number of leading experts in all fields of our Profession to
improve our understanding and to give recommendations in treatment, logistics and
education in order to meet the challenge of mastering the current change and to
guide health care politics in Europe.

Autumn in Vienna is a lovely season, when leaves turn red and yellow and the new
vine of the year is offered in the wine taverns in the hills of the Vienna woods
around the city. The art and the culture of our former imperial city invites you to
stroll through the city, to enjoy an evening at the Vienna opera and to encounter our
churches, museums, art collections, shops and restaurants.

Join us in Vienna at the 2nd EACTS / ESTS Joint Meeting in October 2003 for what
promises to be an outstanding Meeting and successful exchange of ideas,
challenges and solutions.

Walter Klepetko President of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery	Ion Bellenis President of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Werner Mohl Chairman of the Local Organising Committee	Michael Rolf Müller Chairman of the Local Organising Committee

[2ND EACTS/ESTS Joint Meeting]