Latin America

Dynamic Event Featured CVT Critical Care and ERAS Techniques, Strategies The multifaceted nature of cardiovascular and thoracic (CVT) critical care cases was the focus of the 19th Annual Perioperative and Critical Care Conference, held September 8–10, in Denver, Colorado. More than 150 cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, nurses, perfusionists, and other medical professionals learned about new concepts, management protocols, and clinical experiences from a multidisciplinary faculty. In addition, Ronald M. Stewart, MD, from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, delivered the special keynote address, “Team Management Through Crisis: Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma.” “For our first in-person meeting in 2 years, it was great to meet with a very engaged and interested group,” said Rakesh C. Arora, MD, PhD, one of the program directors. “Participation in every session was outstanding: the level of talks, the questions being asked, the conversations in-between. We had great science and breakout sessions, and meeting old friends again was a real treat.” Thomas Knapp, a third-year medical student from the University of Central Florida College of Medicine in Orlando, received the Best Overall Poster honor for his presentation, “Dexmedetomidine Withdrawal in Pediatric Cardiac ICU Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Thomas Knapp, from the University of Central Florida College of Medicine in Orlando, received the Best Overall Poster honor. He shared how much he enjoyed the hands-on sessions, especially the “ECMO 101” session. “I was really excited because it was smaller groups and very visual, which appealed to me. I appreciated the intimacy of the sessions and that the conference was niche.” The meeting content will be available for purchase this month through the STS Learning Center. More information is available at sts.org/criticalcare. New Award Will Honor Extraordinary Women in CT Surgery Nominations currently are being accepted for the inaugural Extraordinary Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Award, which is co-sponsored by STS and Women in Thoracic Surgery. This honor will recognize outstanding women cardiothoracic surgeons who achieve excellence in clinical practice. Nominees also should exemplify one or more of the following characteristics: Selfless leadership in cardiothoracic surgery Mentorship/sponsorship of others in the specialty Exceptional advocacy on behalf of cardiothoracic surgery, the patient population, or fellow surgeons/trainees Integrity, innovation, creativity, and expertise in carrying out day-to-day professional responsibilities The Extraordinary Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Award will be presented live during STS 2023 in January. Nominations are being accepted through October 21. For more information, visit sts.org/extraordinarywomen. STS 2023 Will Reconnect the CT Community in San Diego After 2 years of virtual-only Annual Meetings, STS is bringing the cardiothoracic surgery community back together for never-before-seen science, hands-on demonstrations, virtual OR experiences, industry showcases, and thought-provoking keynote lectures. STS 2023 will take place January 21–23, at the San Diego Convention Center. “There isn’t an STS Annual Meeting that I don’t walk away from having learned something new, thought about something differently, or gained a unique perspective about how another surgeon or institution is tackling a problem,” said S. Adil Husain, MD, Chair of the STS Workforce on Annual Meeting. “Being together face to face creates organic conversations and opportunities to learn from one another, as well as allows us to find joy, excitement, and commonalities in terms of challenges and successes we have as cardiothoracic surgeons.” For those who can’t travel to San Diego—or for those who want to do more with their in-person registration—a new option, Plenary Livestream-Plus, will allow registrants to livestream the President’s Address and the Thomas B. Ferguson, Vivien T. Thomas, and C. Walton Lillehei Lectures from anywhere onsite or across the globe. Plenary Livestream-Plus also gives participants access to all session recordings within 48 hours of presentation. Early registration guarantees a place—and the best choice of hotel rooms—at the most highly anticipated cardiothoracic surgery event in the world. Registration now is under way at sts.org/annualmeeting.   World-Class Faculty Will Headline Latin America Conference Featuring interactive panel discussions, original scientific abstracts, and hands-on courses, the 2022 STS/EACTS Latin America Cardiovascular Surgery Conference takes place December 1–3, in Cartagena, Colombia. The conference is an exceptional opportunity to explore the latest developments and best practices in coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease, thoracic aortic disease, atrial fibrillation, and the surgical management of heart failure. The final day of the conference will showcase industry-sponsored workshops that demonstrate mitral, tricuspid, and aortic valve repair, as well as valve sparing and the Ross procedure. “The Latin America Cardiovascular Surgery Conference this year will be a remarkable event as surgeons from South America, Europe, and North America come together to disseminate knowledge and learn from each other,” said program committee member Vinod H. Thourani, MD. “We will discuss cases, listen to didactic lectures, and watch videos about the best practices for adult cardiac, congenital, and heart failure surgery. I encourage you to attend this don’t-miss event.” For more information, visit sts.org/latam. 8 in 8s Provide Quick Tips for Hypoxemia, Reimbursement, Epicardial Pacing, and More The STS 8 in 8 Series is a collection of expert-presented videos that offer clear, concise explanations of cardiothoracic surgery topics—each features just 8 slides and is approximately 8 minutes long.  The newest videos cover hypoxemia during VV ECMO, academic promotion for advanced practice providers, post-cardiotomy temporary epicardial pacing in the ICU, surgeon reimbursement, and tracheostomy techniques.  The series is available at sts.org/8in8 and on the STS YouTube channel, ThoracicSurgeons. This 8 in 8 video identifies contributors to hypoxemia during VV-ECMO support, including cannula recirculation. Now Is the Time to Send Data Managers to AQO Surgeons are encouraged to register their data management teams for the 2022 Advances in Quality Outcomes (AQO): A Data Managers Meeting, October 26–28 in Providence, Rhode Island. Registrants can choose one or multiple in-person tracks—for the Adult Cardiac, Congenital, General Thoracic, and/or Intermacs/Pedimacs Databases—or choose a virtual pass to get access to digital content. STS members, including non-physician associate members, save even more. Details are available at sts.org/aqo. Blog Curates Conversations for Aspiring Surgeons The Aspiring CT Surgeons Blog launched to much celebration, providing a space for trainees to openly reflect on their experiences and share ideas to help each other navigate the troubles and triumphs of medical school, residency, fellowship, and beyond. New articles—which offer viewpoints from a diverse range of backgrounds and stages of training—are added regularly. The first few articles detail coping with complications, feeding the joy, and finding your own way to the operating room. Coping with Complications in Cardiothoracic Surgery: How Do We Grow as Trainees? by Linda Schulte, MD   The Scenic Route to Cardiothoracic Surgery by Mahnoor Imran, MD   Feed the Joy by Anna Olds, MD   Visit sts.org/aspiringctsurgeons, and carry on the discussion via social media with #aspiringctsurgeons. Webinar Challenges Teams to Prepare for Post-Surgical Arrest In the event of a sudden cardiac arrest after surgery, everyone on the perioperative team needs to know their roles and act fast. A recent installment of the STS Webinar Series teaches teams to establish a protocol that everyone can follow. In “Arrest after Cardiac Surgery: Is Your Team Ready?,” an expert panel demonstrates how to implement Cardiac Surgery Advanced Life Support protocols and their utility in failure-to-rescue algorithms. The free webinar is available to watch now at sts.org/videos. STS Traveled to Milan for EACTS Meeting The Society had an important presence at the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) Annual Meeting in Milan, Italy, in October. STS President John H. Calhoon, MD, met with colleagues from around the world, while other surgeon leaders gave presentations during the meeting. STS staff also promoted the benefits of STS membership at a booth in the Exhibit Hall.

STS News, Summer 2022 — From research funding to traveling fellowships to specialized training that can help surgeons introduce state-of-the-art programs worldwide, The Thoracic Surgery Foundation (TSF) offers career-changing opportunities for surgeons at every experience level. Support from TSF can fuel projects like Salvando Corazones (“Saving Hearts”), led by Aldo Rafael, MD, a recipient of the TSF Every Heartbeat Matters award. On their latest mission trip this spring, Dr. Rafael’s team was able to save the lives of 11 patients from underserved regions of Peru. These patients had rheumatic and degenerative cardiac conditions such as rheumatic valvulopathies, aortic aneurysms, and severe coronary artery disease. The team focused on minimally invasive valve replacement, working alongside local surgeons, anesthesiologists, perfusionists and nurses at Dos de Mayo hospital in Lima—and giving them hands-on training in new techniques. “We had the pleasure of showcasing this novel approach to the cardiac surgery department at the hospital,” wrote Dr. Rafael in his TSF report. “There was a collaborative effort with the education and hands-on teaching involved with each surgical case.” All of the patients did well postoperatively, with no significant surgical complications, the team reported. Dr. Rafael has a special place in his own heart for Dos de Mayo because it served as his training ground—he was the first graduate from the institution’s cardiovascular surgery program. Born and raised in Jauja-Junin, Peru, about 6 hours outside Lima, he says he now has the privilege of giving back to his Peruvian community. “Salvando Corazones has allowed me to form a close friendship—a brotherhood—with many healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, technicians, and administrative staff,” Dr. Rafael said. The March 2022 Salvando Corazones mission saved the lives of 11 patients who otherwise had no recourse to correct their heart defects. Minimally Invasive Techniques Help Combat Ripple Effects of Rheumatic Fever As a surgeon at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, Dr. Rafael has access to new procedural techniques that under-resourced countries don’t, he stated. “Minimally invasive valve replacement surgery for rheumatic heart disease is the current standard of care. Salvando Corazones focuses on training the local Peruvian medical staff while providing free-of-charge cardiac surgeries to an underserved population.” In 2013, Dr. Rafael’s team introduced Peru’s first minimally invasive valve surgery via mini-sternotomy and utilized new techniques to protect the brain during cardiopulmonary bypass. Then, in 2015, Dr. Rafael performed the first minimally invasive aortic and mitral valve replacements in Peru that were accessed via right mini-thoracotomy. “The March 2022 trip allowed me to introduce a left atrial appendage exclusion device to the surgeons at Dos de Mayo Hospital,” he said. These surgeries helped to ensure improved quality of life for the patients by providing a long-term solution in a region where rheumatic cardiopathy remains an ongoing concern. In low- and middle-income countries, rheumatic fever complicated by rheumatic heart disease still contributes to morbidity and premature death—accounting for up to a quarter of a million deaths every year, Dr. Rafael said. “In our patients at Dos de Mayo Hospital, we found high frequency of rheumatic valve disease—most of them in young patients. These patients usually contract rheumatic fever in childhood or adolescence and develop symptoms between 20 and 40 years of age.” In under-resourced countries, up to 3% of school-aged children have evidence of rheumatic heart disease detected by echocardiography. Dr. Rafael identifies this as a public health problem, one that, thanks to the generosity of donors to TSF and other entities, can be addressed in a concrete way, and can certainly make all the difference for individual patients. Amidst Pandemic, Mission Sent Lifesaving Equipment from Afar In 2020 and 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the Salvando Corazones team from traveling to Peru. However, they were able to ship two donated heart-lung machines to the hospital. “These costly machines are a limiting factor for regional hospitals in Peru to start cardiac surgery programs,” Dr. Rafael explained. “This has led to a 1,000-person waitlist at Dos de Mayo Hospital, the national referral center for cardiac surgery for 65% of the population on government insurance.” This insurance only partially covers the cost of the surgery and does so for only a limited number of patients per year, he said. Dr. Rafael’s staff teamed up with Peruvian surgeons, perfusionists, nurses, technicians, and administrative support personnel—leaving them with the tools and skills to continue the work. The team also was able to partner with several companies for supply donations, including valves, sutures, lap sponges, cannulas, hemoconcentrators, and more, said Dr. Rafael. Supplies that remain after the Salvando Corazones team’s departure will be used year-round by the Peruvian staff to continue saving lives. Salvando Corazones will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion, Dr. Rafael will host a minimally invasive cardiac surgery symposium at Dos de Mayo, imparting new techniques to more Peruvian surgical teams as part of a cross-continental faculty. “Together, we have delivered—and will continue to deliver—superior patient care, and we have served a role in advancing minimally invasive surgery and therapies for advanced heart failure among the cardiothoracic surgery residency program at Dos de Mayo Hospital,” Dr. Rafael said. “On behalf of all those involved, we are grateful for your generosity, your trust, and—most importantly—your commitment to our medical mission.” Every Heartbeat Matters Is One Among Many TSF Opportunities The TSF Every Heartbeat Matters Award, is only one of a wide array of grant and scholarship opportunities offered by the Society's charitable arm. Applications are open for TSF awards, and the deadline to apply for most is September 15. Learn more at thoracicsurgeryfoundation.org. Annual Report Highlights Results of Awardee Innovation, Donor Generosity Illustrating the stories behind the Foundation’s scholars, investigators, volunteers, and donors, the 2021 TSF Annual Report now is available. The report features breakdowns of award disbursements, testimonials from grant recipients, photos from clinical projects and mission trips, and a listing of major gift donors. In 2021 alone, TSF dispersed more than $1 million in funding for cardiothoracic surgery research, education, and outreach. All TSF administrative costs are absorbed by the Society and corporate grants, meaning that 100% of donations is directed toward award funding. Visit sts.org to read the report.