On day one of STS 2024, Dr. Moritz Wyler von Ballmoos, of Texas Health Resources, will present a session titled, “The STS 2023 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Surgical Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation: Key Takeaways and How Do They Differ from the ACC/AHA Atrial Fibrillation Clinical Practice Guidelines?”
During his talk — one of several STS 2024 sessions to feature late-breaking studies that significantly influence advances in cardiothoracic patient care — Dr. Wyler von Ballmoos will share the latest evidence for surgical ablation (SA) and left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) across various clinical scenarios from the clinical practice guidelines. Emphasis is on the evolving role of surgical ablation and left atrial appendage occlusion in managing atrial fibrillation.
The recommendations highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary team, comprehensive assessment, and long-term follow-up with specific attention to diverse clinical scenarios. The Class I recommendation for LAAO and expanded use of SA signify the growing confidence in these interventions based on recent evidence.
This discussion is part of a larger session, titled "Leaving Money on the Table: Benefits of Ablation and Left Atrial Appendage Management in Atrial Fibrillation" that includes four additional presentations on the topic, as well as an expert panel discussion and question and answer sessions that follow each presentation.
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is excited to reconvene for its 60th Annual Meeting January 27 - 29 in San Antonio, which brings together cardiothoracic surgeons from around the world and features late-breaking scientific research, cutting-edge technologies, innovative cardiothoracic surgery products, and meaningful networking opportunities.
STS 2024 will be held in San Antonio, Texas
This year’s meeting venue, the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, offers attendees – more than 2,000 multidisciplinary cardiothoracic professionals at all career stages – everything they’ll need for a seamless experience with 80 educational sessions throughout the three-day conference.
The morning of Saturday, January 27, kicks off with the Extraordinary Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Awards Breakfast, which recognizes women surgeons who have achieved excellence in clinical practice and demonstrate integrity, leadership, creativity, and expertise in carrying out day-to-day duties and supporting the specialty.
On Sunday evening, the President's Reception at The Witte Museum – a beautiful and immersive venue "where nature, science, and culture meet – will celebrate the term of current STS President Dr. Tom MacGillivray, as guests experience the history, culture, and natural artifacts of Texas while reuniting with – and meeting new – friends and colleagues.
The STS Annual Meeting exhibit hall will feature live product demonstrations, as well as more than 130 exhibitors showcasing the latest tools and technologies for surgical practice. Conference goers will not want to miss the CT Surgery Resident Showdown final, where the North American and European champions will face off against each other in a test of knowledge.
For the first time, the meeting will include a hub for early career surgeons. At The Hub, located next to the Exhibit Hall, you’ll find early career roundtable discussions with STS leaders, a trainee symposium, a mock oral exam course, an early career insight talk by Dr. Leah Backhus, and more. You also can join your peers in a “painting with a purpose” art installation activity for the Shriners Children's Texas in Galveston.
Attendees will also be able to engage in wellbeing activities, such as step tracking, wellness-related educational sessions, a golf simulator, and more. Industry symposia, held onsite during lunch and offsite in the mornings and evenings, offer opportunities to explore new techniques and interventions. Two exhibit hall theaters will allow attendees to experience e-posters and interactive industry presentations.
There’s still time to register, add ticketed events, and start planning your San Antonio experience at sts.org/annualmeeting.
In this episode of The Resilient Surgeon, Dr. Michael Maddaus interviews Monica Parker, author of The Power of Wonder: The Extraordinary Emotion That Will Change the Way You Live, Learn, and Lead.
Parker has spent decades helping people discover how to lead and live wonderfully by cultivating curiosity, empathy, and open mindedness. Here, she explains the elements and elicitors of wonder, and how it can transform people's brains and bodies. It's about "becoming more wonder-prone and reconnecting with a reverence for the world and all the magic in it."
The editors of the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EJCTS), The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, and The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (JTCVS) recognize the value of a streamlined and consistent submission process. To provide a simplified experience for our authors as they submit, we have harmonized our submission requirements for full-length original research articles. The newly aligned standards are listed below:
4,500 word count maximum (this includes all elements of the manuscript)
Maximum combined limit of seven figures and tables
40 reference maximum
Strict adherence to the AMA Manual of Style for citations
No limit to the number of videos an author can submit
These changes are intended to reduce confusion and save time for our busy authors. These unified requirements will make it easier to resubmit to a different journal, if needed. Additionally, strict adherence to AMA style will make it easier for our authors to use reference management tools such as EndNote, Zotero, and Mendeley.
We are confident that this congruency will simplify the user experience when submitting to EJCTS, JTCVS, and The Annals.
Sincerely,
Joanna Chikwe, MD, Editor-in-Chief, STS Journals
G. Alexander Patterson, MD, Editor-in-Chief, AATS Journals
Matthias Siepe, MD, EACTS Editor-in-Chief
In this episode of The Resilient Surgeon, Gloria Mark, PhD, Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine, explains how people interact with information technology in their everyday life: How it affects multitasking, attention, mood, and above all, stress. She studies people's behavior in real-world settings and has found that most people experience information overload, which continues to shrink their attention spans.
Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in the U.S. Early detection of lung cancer through low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening has been shown to significantly reduce lung cancer mortality in high-risk populations and is currently recommended annually by the U.S.
Perioperative management of diabetes in CABG patients is an evolving topic. This STS 8 in 8 video explores the recent literature and guidelines regarding the management of pre-, intra-, and post- operative blood glucose and the consequences of poor control.
Physicians undergo extensive technical training to develop the required expertise for the responsible care of patients. Cardiothoracic surgery training is narrow and deep and rarely addresses skills necessary for effective communication, the cultivation of self-awareness, listening, and what it takes to build high-performing teams. Dr. Frank Rosinia and Dr.
In observance of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, STS participated in a congressional press conference focused on the importance of lung cancer screening hosted on the U.S. Capitol grounds on Thursday, November 16. The event, hosted by Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-FL), aimed to bring attention to the urgent need to get more people screened for lung cancer.
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Dr. Keith Mortman with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz
STS joined other key stakeholders in the lung cancer community at this event, including LUNGevity Foundation, American Lung Association, GO2 for Lung Cancer, Moffitt Cancer Center, the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).
STS has a long history of advocating for robust patient access to lung cancer prevention, screenings, and treatment. “Over the past decade, significant progress has been made to expand insurance coverage of lung cancer screening, yet this press conference highlighted that significant challenges remain to increasing screening rates among at-risk individuals,” said Keith Mortman, MD, who participated in the press conference and is a member of the STS Workforce on Health Policy, Reform, and Advocacy. “While innovative treatments for lung cancer are rapidly emerging, not everyone has equal access to these cutting-edge treatments. STS is relentlessly advocating with policymakers in Washington to remove barriers and increase access so our members can offer the highest quality lung cancer care possible.”
To advance this priority, STS has advocated for H.R. 4286, Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Reps. Brian Higgins (D-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Kathy Castor (D-FL), that would require all state Medicaid programs to cover lung cancer screenings for eligible enrollees as recommended by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF). Urge your lawmakers to support this legislation today.
