EACTS Council Nominations 2023

The Council is the governing, decision-making body of EACTS. The Council is made up of up to 15 members who each serve for set terms, in different capacities, acting at all times in the best interests of the Association, our members and ultimately the patients that we serve.

Each Councillor will serve a set term (normally of up to three years) and each year a number of new Councillors are appointed as the terms of current Councillors come to an end. Councillors to be appointed must complete a process of Nomination (detailed below), selection and eventually, ‘election’ by the members at the General Assembly in October 2023.

Vacant Council Positions 2023
This year the following positions on Council are to be filled.  A job description for each position is available by clicking on the title;

 

Vice President
The Vice President will be elected in October 2023 with a view to becoming President in October 2024 and serving a final year on Council as Immediate Past President from October 2025.

Treasurer
The position of Treasurer is vacant on the Council from October 2023 until 2026. EACTS is seeking an EACTS member to fulfil this role who has skills in financial strategy and management, knowledge in accounting and investment, and the availability to commit 8-10 days a year for meetings and attend the EACTS Annual Meetings each year during the three-year term. Due to the nature of this role, a separate finance panel will interview candidates and make a recommendation to the Nominations Committee.

Domain Chair-elect Positions 2023
The position of Domain Chair-elect is nominated and selected (but not elected to Council) up to one year before the incumbent Domain Chair steps down. The Chair-elect will serve on the domain and shadow all the current Chair’s activities including Council activities; they will not attend nor vote on Council itself (other than, in exceptional circumstances, to represent the Domain on Council in the absence of the Domain Chair. In this circumstance, they will not vote). The Nominations Committee will select the Chair-elect positions through the normal nomination and selection process; however, the General Assembly will be invited to vote on the appointment, in the year that the Domain Chair-elect is elevated to the office of Domain Chair (ie, one year following selection).

The Process of Nomination and Selection

Nomination Process
To ensure a fair and transparent process, the EACTS Nominations Committee will oversee the nomination and selection process. This year, the Nominations Committee is made up as follows:

Senior Past President: Peter Licht (Chairman)
Past President: Mark Hazekamp
Immediate Past President: Friedhelm Beyersdorf
President: Patrick Perier
Secretary General: Patrick Myers

Any EACTS member can nominate a fellow member for a specified role on Council (there is no limit to the number of nominations a member can make). For avoidance of doubt, current Councillors, Domain and Task Force members may nominate, but members of the Nominations Committee may not.

In making a nomination, the person making the nomination must write a letter of support that includes:

  • A summary of the contribution that the person being nominated has made to his/her professional field
  • The contribution made to the work of EACTS more broadly by the person being nominated
  • The skills and experiences the person being nominated will bring to Council and the specific role under consideration.

The person making the nomination should, after having received confirmation of the willingness of the nominee to stand for election, send a digital form of this letter, with a brief Curriculum Vitae of the person being nominated, to the Chair of the Nominations Committee via the dedicated EACTS email address [email protected]

Nominations open on Saturday 1 July 2023.

The closing date for Nominations is 6pm (CEST) Friday 4 August 2023.

The Nominations Committee will consider all applications before making a recommendation to the EACTS Council.  Council will make the final decision as to those to be formally presented for election at the EACTS General Assembly on 6 October 2023 (Vienna).

 

 

 

EACTS TV

RAISING THE BAR WITH EACTS TV!

Officially launched in 2022, the premium EACTS TV became an extremely popular spot for delegates to engage with a plethora of live & recorded content. Both educational and entertaining, features of EACTS TV includes:

  • Selected prime session content, broadcast in real time
  • KOL interactive panel sessions and debates
  • Daily highlight broadcasts
  • Interviews with keynote faculty, guests and industry

 

If you are visiting the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting in-person, make sure to check the TV schedule ahead of time to plan your visit to the TV Studio (located in the Exhibition). Or alternatively, you can watch the sessions online!

View the 2023 TV schedule HERE! 

Highlights from 2022

The Daily Preview Show: A preview each day looking ahead at the programme with a panel of key faculty.

Talking Techno: Live panel discussion on the Techno-College key findings and talking points.

The Big Debate: Popular episodes examining and debating key topics including ‘Equality & Diversity in CT Surgery’ and ‘Trial & Error’.

– In Focus With: Exclusive 1-1 interviews with keynote faculty.

The Pursuit of Quality – A Never Ending Quest: An in-depth discussion on quality with a panel of key faculty.

CT Surgery Residents Showdown: Featuring the jeopardy-style competition with the final European round to see who will face the American Champions at STS!

Industry In Focus: A discussion with key industry representatives on their collaboration with EACTS and their plans for the future.

Science Friction – The Daily Review: A review of each day including key talks, takeaways, debates and anecdotes.

Catch up on the highlights!

Registered delegates at the 36th EACTS Annual Meeting can watch all EACTS TV sessions via the media library.

STAY UP TO DATE

Subscribe to EACTS emails to receive updates on EACTS TV and more on the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting.

Produced by a professional webcast & virtual event team.

Hosted and moderated by ex-BBC Roy Sheppard – awarded Virtual Presenter of the Year (UK).

Accessible online as well as in-person at the TV Studio.

EACTS TV takes streamed content to the next level!

ARE YOU…

 

… interested in a particular topic being featured? Email us with your suggestions at [email protected] with the subject ‘EACTS TV Topic Suggestion’

 

… interested in sponsored content within EACTS TV? Email [email protected] for the options available.

INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES OVERVIEW

EACTS is grateful to the following organisations for their support of this year’s Techno-College:

SATELLITE SYMPOSIA

Companies will be organising satellite symposia during the 37th Annual Meeting. We are pleased to provide further information on the programme below. These sponsored programmes do not form part of the official scientific programme of EACTS. By attending these sessions, please be aware that you will be giving permission for your personal details to be shared with the company holding the symposium.

Thursday 5th October, 12:15-13:30

Date: Thursday 5 October
Time: 12:15-13:30
Room: Hall K1

WEBSITE

Acute Aortic Dissections: the role of the AMDS Therapy in preventing DANE and resolving Malperfusion

 

Chairs: Dr Moon (Canada) and Mr De Silva (UK)

PERSEVERE FDA Study: trial design overview and early results
Dr Szeto

PROTECT Registry update and arch remodeling cases discussion
Professor Kempfert

The AMDS for acute DeBakey Type I aortic dissection: technical considerations for an optimal result
Dr Lühr

Team approach in the treatment of Acute Type A Dissections: from patient selection to technical skills
Mr Rajakaruna

Date: Thursday 5 October
Time: 12:15-13:30
Room: Hall K2
Contact: [email protected] 

WEBSITE

Heart Failure & Atrial Fibrillation – an underestimated lethal relationship

 

  1. AF begets HF, HF begets AF (15min + 5min Q&A) Dr Ingrid Overeinder, UZ Brussels
  2. Risks and associations of HF & AF (15min + 5min Q&A) Dr Manuel Carnero, Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Madrid
  3. Treatment options: a matter for all of us (15min + 5min Q&A)

Conclusion (5minutes) Mr Stephen Billing, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust

Date: Thursday 5 October
Time: 12:15-13:30
Room: Hall G1

WEBSITE

Infections in cardio and thoracic surgeries: Trick or Treat?

Chair: Dr Oezkur

Patient perspectives of postoperative complications in thoracic surgery
Dr Pompili

Barts Surgical Infection Risk Tool to prevent cardiac SSIs
Mr Shipolini

A journey to the cardiac SSIs bundle
Dr Oezkur

What’s new in clinical evidence for CLEAN surgery?
Professor Boisson

Date: Thursday 5 October
Time: 12:15-13:30
Room: Hall E1

WEBSITE

RESILIA tissue: what does it take to become a new standard?

Chair: Joseph Bavaria and Martin Grabenwöger

What is RESILIA and how did it get here?
Angela De La Fuente

Mid-term outcomes of INSPIRIS RESILIA compared to Magna Ease
Francesco Onorati 

7-year COMMENCE trial data
Joseph Bavaria

Long-term economic savings associated with surgical aortic valve replacement using a RESILIA tissue bioprosthesis
Tom Nguyen

Discussion
Panel

Date: Thursday 5 October
Time: 12:15-13:30
Room: Hall F1

WEBSITE

Discovery fire session: Experts guide to managing complex SAVR cases

Chair: Professor De Kerchove
Panel: Professor Klautz 

Welcome

Introduction: Embracing the surgical complexity of the future
Professor De Kerchove

Safe and sound aortic annulus enlargement: best practice with practical examples (using AvalusTM valve and Y-incision)
Dr Yang

Practical tips and tricks for a complex aortic valve replacement through mini thoracotomy (AvalusTM valve case with CorKnotTM)
Professor Bouchot

Solving the aortic root complexity with bio-bentall procedure (live-in-the-box) case review (using AvalusTM valve)
Professor Ehrlich

The real-world evidence of SAVR in complex patients’ cohort: ACE registry results, 500+ patients (with AvalusTM valve)
Professor Verbelen

Invited commentary from Prof. Klautz

Conclusion and final remarks

Date: Thursday 5 October
Time: 12:15-13:30
Room: Hall G2

WEBSITE

Multi-country clinical experience on Novel Coaxial Drain in Cardio-Thoracic Use

Chairs: Prof. Dr. Mohsen Ibrahim – Thoracic Surgery S. Andrea Hospital, “Sapienza” University of Rome (Italy) & Prof. Giovanni Melina – Cardiac Surgery S. Andrea Hospital, “Sapienza” University of Rome (Italy)

How did I get convinced? Moving from traditional Chest Tube to Smart Coaxial Drain
Dr. med. Bertrand GRAND – Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgeon – Saint Cloud Clinique Val d’Or – Ile-de-France (France) 

Coaxial Drain is more effective in air leak evacuation after lung surgery
Prof. Dr. Michael R. Müller – Sigmund Freud Universität, Lehrstuhl Thoraxchirurgie – Vienna (Austria)

LiveBox Endoscopic Mitral Repair Case and Coaxial Drain post-operative Use: A Full Solution in Cardiac MIS
Dr. med. Karel Van Praet – Klinik für Herz-Thorax-Gefässchirurgie – Herzzentrum der Charité – Berlin (Germany)

Date: Thursday 5 October
Time: 12:15-13:30
Room: Room 0.14
Contact: [email protected]

WEBSITE

Living as a part of you – different tissue restoration in cardiovascular surgery

Chair: Mark G. Hazekamp, MD, PhD/Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery & Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon, Leiden University Medical Center

Living as part of you: alternatives for reconstruction in cardiovascular surgery
Caner Salih, MBChB, MD, FRCS(CTh)/ Chief of Congenital Cardiac Surgery, Children’s Cardio-Respiratory and Intensive care, Evelina London Clinical Group, Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation trust

Long-term viability, extensibility, and durability of an experimentally regenerated aortic wall in situ by SYNFOLIUM®
Shintaro Nemoto, MD, Ph.D/Professor of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University

Efficacy and Safety of a Novel Cardiovascular Patch – Insights from a Short-term Clinical Trial in Japan
Shingo Kasahara, MD, PhD,/Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University

Panel discussion

Date: Thursday 5 October
Time: 12:15-13:30
Room: Room 0.31-0.32

WEBSITE

Controversies in Sternal Closure

Moderator: Mr. Jonathan A J Hyde

Welcome and side event opening
Mr. Jonathan A J Hyde

Sternal bone healing and the management of chronic nonunited sternotomy
Mr. John G. Edwards

Rigid plate fixation to prevent sternal complications
Mr. Jonathan A J Hyde

Sternal plating in diabetic patients: the new gold standard?
Dr. David Santer

Q&A

Friday 6th October, 12:15-13:30

Date: Friday 6 October
Time: 12:15-13:30
Room: Hall K1

WEBSITE

More than a buzzword: Patient lifetime management

Chair: Volkmar Falk (DE)
Panel: Danny Dvir (IL), Amedeo Anselmi (FR), Giuseppe Bruschi (IT), Thorsten Doenst (DE)

How to approach young patients with severe aortic stenosis
Thorsten Doenst

How to approach redo patients with aortic stenosis
Giuseppe Bruschi

How to approach long life expectancy patients with mitral regurgitation
Amedeo Anselmi 

Date: Friday 6 October
Time: 12:15-13:30
Room: Hall G1

WEBSITE

New product innovations in pMCS and first experiences with new therapy solutions

Chairs: Payam Akhyari (Germany) and Ivan Netuka (Czech Republic)

First Experience With New pMCS Devices for Left and Right Heart Support
Scott Silvestry, USA

pMCS, ECLS, ECpella, ECmella – When, How and for Whom?
Evgenij Potapov, Germany

Awake Insertion of Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist
Kaveh Eghbalzadeh, Germany

Peri-Operatively Use of Impella Heart Pumps in Cardiac Surgery
Alexander Bernhardt, Germany

Date: Friday 6 October
Time: 12:15-13:30
Room: Hall K2

Website

Hemoadsorption with CytoSorb after 10 years – Where do we stand?

Chairs: Sandra Lindstedt (Sweden) and Piotr Suwalski (Poland)

The Paris experience – Which patients benefit most?
Guillaume Lebreton, France

The Oslo experience – Removal of antithrombotics to reduce complications and costs
Gry Dahle, Norway

The Essen experience – Hemoadsorption in aortic surgery
Heinz Jakob, Germany

Date: Friday 6 October
Time: 12:15-13:30
Room: Hall E1

WEBSITE

Mitral valve replacement: current perspectives

Chairs: Jose Luis Pomar & Jörg Kempfert

Mitral repair vs. replacement: should it be debatable?
Nikolaos Bonaros

When should a mitral valve be replaced?
Joerg Kempfert

Patient outcomes and long-term data with mitral valve replacement
Vinod Thourani

My personal experience with mitral valve replacement
Denis Bouchard

Discussion

Date: Friday 6 October
Time: 12:15-13:30
Room: Hall F1

WEBSITE

Discovery fire session: New frontiers for Mitral valve treatment

Chairs & Moderators: Professor Kappetein & Mr. Dincer Aktuerk
Panel: Professor Reichenspurner

Welcome

Evolving landscape of Mitral valve therapy: Let’s imagine the future!
Mr. Dincer Aktuerk

Solving the key complexity of Mitral valve replacement in a minimally invasive setting: how to avoid LVOT obstruction (live-in-the-box case)
Professor Ben Gal 

Creating physiologic mitral valve movement in an endoscopic procedure (live-in-the-box case)
Professor Borger

Breaking news on transcatheter mitral valve replacement: IntrepidTM valve and Apollo trial update
Professor Modine

Conclusion and summary
Professor Kappetein & Mr. Dincer Aktuerk 

Final remarks

Date: Friday 6 October
Time: 12:15-13:30
Room: Hall G2

WEBSITE

Segmentectomy with 3D Reconstruction

Moderator: Professor Franca Melfi

Speakers: 

PROF RENE PETERSEN, Rigshospitalet University Hospital, Copenhagen
MR ALESSANDRO BRUNELLI, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, UK

Date: Friday 6 October
Time: 12:15-13:30
Room: Room 0.31-0.32

WEBSITE

Empowering limitless Hybrid Solutions

Moderator: Professor Joseph Bavaria

Retrospective Analysis: Thoraflex Hybrid’s Journey to become the global ‘Gold Standard’ FET
Professor Malakh Shrestha

LSA proximal technique with Thoraflex Hybrid
Professor Fernando Fleischman

Initial Japan Experience with Thoraflex Hybrid
Dr. Hitoshi Matsuda

2nd stage TEVARing with Thoraflex Hybrid: Staying on label at all times
Professor Wilson Szeto

A new FET device to simplify proximal and distal redo operations: T – Next
Professor Marco di Eusanio

Raising new Standards in Thoracoabdominal surgery with Thoracoflo
Professor Dr. Sabine Wipper

Further programme information will be displayed in August 2023.

INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES

The EACTS Annual Meeting is the largest event for the cardiothoracic community, attracting several thousand delegates. It provides the perfect forum to promote your products and services to the world’s leading cardiothoracic surgeons as well as physicians in related specialties, residents and allied health professionals. 

 

In addition to our large Exhibition we will be offering a range of other sponsorship opportunities to our Industry partners participating in the 2023 Annual Meeting in Vienna.  Further details will be shared soon – if you would like to be included in receiving these, please contact [email protected].

The 37th EACTS Annual Meeting has been registered as COMPLIANT by MedTech.

The support of our industry partners is important. As we develop more flexible and innovative ways to communicate and share educational content, we are excited to offer new engagement opportunities for our industry partners.

We look forward to working with you.  For full details and pricing, please contact [email protected]

Exhibitor List 2023

The EACTS trade exhibition is an important and most time efficient way to keep up to date with new to market technology, state of the art products, innovations and developments in the cardiothoracic market.  The exhibiting companies are looking forward to meeting the people that matter to their business in one place, demonstrate new products and attract interest from new prospects and existing customers.

Vacancy: QUIP Committee Chair

Take a lead role in driving quality improvement in cardiothoracic surgery

 

Do you have the strategic vision to lead EACTS’ Quality Improvement Programme (QUIP)?

EACTS is looking for a dedicated member to Chair our QUIP committee and play an important strategic role in representing the Programme’s vision and purpose.  

The Quality Improvement Programme operates two international databases: the Adult Cardiac Database (ACD) and the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS). These registries transcend national boundaries to unite individuals and institutions from around the world to advance clinical research and improve the outcomes and lives of patients.  

This is an exciting opportunity to drive quality improvement in cardiothoracic surgery and promote the importance of integrating quality improvement initiatives into daily clinical practice. 

Application

Applications are now closed.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. 

About you  

  • Proficiency in English.
  • At least 5 years’ experience in the field.
  • You will be committed to the charitable objectives of the Association and the Committee, and be dedicated to the pursuit of clinical/research excellence and improving patient outcomes.
  • You will have an interest not just in cardiothoracic surgery, but also experience in managing clinical registries for hospital(s) on a national or international scale.
  • You will have a good understanding of epidemiology data and benchmarking, and be able to provide guidance in data collection, validating, and reporting.
  • You will have experience in monitoring efficacy of registries and applying strategic knowledge to support databases and their output. 
  • You must have sufficient time to attend at least four meetings per year and be willing to contribute between meetings as necessary.
  • The ideal candidate must be able to make the decisions on the nitty gritty of software logistics and data collection, without losing sight of the ‘big picture’.  

 

Job Description 

Job Title: Quality Improvement Programme Committee Chair 

Key Relationships: QUIP Manager and Members, EACTS Task Forces and Committee Chairs, EACTS office, EACTS Councillors.

Purpose of the role: to effectively manage the Committee and outline clear, long-term goals which are both in line with EACTS’ mission and help the Committee fulfil its purpose.  

 

Main duties and responsibilities 

  • To provide strategic and operational guidance to the Quality Improvement Programme and to the various current/developing international databases. 
  • To assess and advise on the QUIP objectives to ensure they are in line with the EACTS charitable objectives and 5-year strategy.  
  • To lead the Committee, recruiting members according to the skillset and knowledge required, chairing meetings and establishing milestones. 
  • To liaise with the other relevant EACTS database Task Forces and Committee Chairs to give strategic advice that will correspond to the overall objectives.  
  • To review the operational and technological requirements of the databases, assessing software support and platforms are performing at a sufficient standard to satisfy the needs of the users.  
  • To assist and advise panel on tender processes for relevant software and platforms to support the databases.  
  • To coordinate with the other database task forces/committee to analyse, review, and advise on the data in- and outputs of the databases, monitoring efficacy of the registries and user feedback.
  • To advise on the financial policy of the databases and coordinate with potential industry and stakeholders accordingly. 
  • To be a non-voting member of the EACTS Council / to provide reports on the progress of the QUIP Committee and the activities to the EACTS Council.  

 

Expected Commitments  

  • Regular Zoom and sometimes in-person meetings with the Committee. 
  • Attend/present at the EACTS Annual Meeting.  
  • Strict confidentiality observance. 
  • Provide true and complete information on relationships with industry; provide annual declaration of interest.  

EACTS designates emergency fund of €100,000 to support the cardiothoracic community in Ukraine

The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery unreservedly opposes the unlawful invasion of the sovereign state of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. We join with the overwhelming international majority in condemning these actions and in demanding an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine.

 

As an Association, we have considered how best to respond to this crisis in the interests of our Ukrainian members and the patients they support. We have taken the following steps;

  • We are immediately designating an emergency fund of €100,000 which we will use to best support the cardiothoracic community of Ukraine. We will be consulting with Vasyl Lazoryshynets, the Director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery in Ukraine and other relevant bodies on the best use and timing of this fund whether in the form of emergency support now or to support rebuilding services in the future.

 

  • We have invited Vasyl Lazoryshynets to address members of EACTS Council, when convenient, to help us understand how best we can further support our Ukrainian colleagues both through the use of the emergency fund and other tangible means of support.

 

  • Today, our President – Friedhelm Beyersdorf – and Secretary General – Rafa Sadaba – have written to each Ukrainian member of EACTS setting out the steps we are taking and offering our unreserved support.

 

  • EACTS is an association of individual members; we do not have countries or their societies in membership. As a small gesture, we will be waiving the membership fee for all members from Ukraine, including for any new members who wish to join this year. It is important the services and educational tools we offer and all the benefits of EACTS’ membership, are available as widely as possible to those in greatest need.

 

  • We have posted statements on our social media accounts condemning the invasion. We have posted a video message from Vasyl Lazoryshynets and will continue to demonstrate our solidarity with the people in Ukraine.

 

We want to express our unequivocal support for the cardiothoracic surgeons and wider heart teams, their families and friends in Ukraine at this time. This act of aggression is having a devastating effect on the Ukrainian people, leading to multiple casualties and loss of life, separated families and a humanitarian crisis. We are deeply concerned for our Ukrainian members and Ukrainian citizens and express our solidarity and support for the people and health professionals of Ukraine.

The EACTS Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Committee welcomes its newest members

On International Women’s Day 2022, EACTS would like to acknowledge and celebrate the tireless work and achievements of women in cardiothoracic surgery across the world.

The Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Committee, chaired by Dr Jolanda Kluin, provides a forum for community-building, networking and leadership development for women cardiothoracic surgeons.

The committee has a clear mission to promote diversity and inclusion within EACTS and the wider field and help more women establish themselves in cardiothoracic surgery and take up leadership roles.

The Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Committee recently welcomed two new additional members – Miia Lehtinen and Maroua Eid – to further strengthen the Committee and support its ongoing work.

Look out for more details about the committee’s work in the next issue of EACTS News.

EACTS is in solidarity with EACTS members in Ukraine

EACTS utterly condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine. No doubt all of us will want to express our unequivocal support for the cardiothoracic surgeons and wider heart teams, their families and friends in Ukraine at this time. This act of aggression is having a devastating effect on the Ukrainian people, leading to multiple casualties and loss of life, separated families and a humanitarian crisis. We are deeply concerned for our Ukrainian members and Ukrainian citizens.

EACTS has received a video from Vasyl Lazoryshynets, a member of EACTS and the Director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery in Ukraine. Vasyl explains the impact of the war on the Ukrainian people and we encourage all members to watch his video.

As cardiothoracic surgeons, our actions save and improve lives for people every day. As Vasyl highlights in his video, ‘let’s stay united to protect the basic human right to life.’

If anyone would like to contribute to the humanitarian relief efforts, please consider supporting the UNHCR or ICRC.