Surgical Hot Topics

TAVR and the Value of the STS/ACC TVT Registry

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is reevaluating the scientific evidence supporting volume requirements for hospitals and heart team members who perform transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedures. Drs. Joe Bavaria, Tom Gleason, Richard Shemin, Vinod Thourani, and Michael Deeb discuss the value of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry for quality improvement initiatives, outcomes research, and device surveillance.

Beyond the Abstract: Culture of Safety and Gender Inclusion in Cardiothoracic Surgery

Hosted by Thomas K. Varghese Jr., MD, MS, Annals Deputy Editor, Digital Media and Digital Scholarship, the “Beyond the Abstract” program explores the “whys” behind an article in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery and discusses next steps with authors and thought leaders. In this episode, Leah M. Backhus, MD and David T. Cooke, MD join Dr. Varghese to discuss the importance of gender diversity in the specialty. Read the Annals article, “Culture of Safety and Gender Inclusion in Cardiothoracic Surgery,” at http://bit.ly/2EqllPI.

Beyond the Abstract: Individual Surgeon Performance in Adult Cardiac Surgery

Hosted by Thomas K. Varghese Jr., MD, MS, Annals Deputy Editor, Digital Media and Digital Scholarship, the “Beyond the Abstract” program explores the “whys” behind an article in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery and discusses next steps with authors and thought leaders. In this episode, David M. Shahian, MD and Keith S. Naunheim, MD join Dr. Varghese to discuss the motivation for developing surgeon-level outcomes metrics and why it’s important. Read the Annals article, “Individual Surgeon Performance in Adult Cardiac Surgery,” at http://bit.ly/2ACEs6b.

Introduction to the New “Beyond the Abstract” Program

The Society has expanded its Surgical Hot Topics podcast series with a new program called “Beyond the Abstract.” Hosted by Thomas K. Varghese Jr., MD, MS, Annals Deputy Editor, Digital Media and Digital Scholarship, the program explores the “whys” behind an article in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery and discusses next steps with authors and thought leaders. This brief introductory episode explains what you can expect in each episode.

How to Recruit More Women Into Surgery

Women make up 46% of medical school graduates; however, only 22% of cardiothoracic surgery trainees are women. Of the 8,617 people who have been certified by The American Board of Thoracic Surgery to date, only 308 (3.6%) are women. STS Director-at-Large Shanda H. Blackmon, MD, MPH says that has to change. She provides 10 tips on how to attract more female candidates into the specialty. Her talk originally was given at the 2018 European Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It also is available at https://youtu.be/yHqijGPF9L8.

Eye of the Beholder: The Reinvention of Seeing

Cardiothoracic surgeons and their professional societies must be leaders in accountability and transparency. In his Presidential Address at the 2018 STS Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Richard L. Prager, MD noted that surgeons must embrace their failures and always think about getting better—not winning, but getting better—in order to be successful.

STS Key Contacts: Advocates for Cardiothoracic Surgery

One way that cardiothoracic surgeons can have a direct impact on federal policy affecting the specialty is by participating in the STS Key Contact program, which offers grassroots advocacy opportunities. In this episode, experienced Key Contacts share why they participate in political advocacy, describe the importance of STS-PAC, and role-play a meeting with a Congressional staff member—showing both how things can go wrong and how to make them go right.

Quality and Innovation in Cardiothoracic Surgery: Colliding Imperatives?

The fine line between delivering quality treatment and embracing innovation may sometimes make cardiothoracic surgeons feel trapped between conflicting goals. In his Presidential Address at the 2017 STS Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas, Joseph E. Bavaria, MD challenged that paradigm. He encouraged his colleagues to continually experiment and adapt, but also to always keep the patient in mind.

Innovation for Life

Even though an operation or a process has been around for a long time and may seem "normal," an innovative idea can change it all. In his Presidential Address at the 2016 STS Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, Mark S. Allen, MD described five common characteristics shared by innovators inside and outside of medicine and urged cardiothoracic surgeons to embrace innovation and ultimately make the specialty better for themselves and their patients.

A New Global Health Crisis

Over the last several decades, deaths from noncommunicable diseases—including cardiovascular disease and lung and esophageal cancer—have increased in the developing world. In his Presidential Address at the 2015 STS Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, David A. Fullerton, MD outlined the problem, the Society’s efforts to fund charitable surgical missions in developing nations, and STS members who are making a difference.