Wetlab assists the inaugural SCTS University programme which was an innovation at this year's SCTS Annual Meeting and proved to be a highly popular.
The SCTS University concept is borne out of a wish to offer the SCTS membership an increased educational opportunity at the national SCTS Annual meeting. The programme is aimed at the entire SCTS membership, including consultant surgeons, trainee surgeons, and the expanding paramedical staff who are playing an increasingly important role in the delivery of cardiothoracic surgical services in the UK.
The ethos of the University project is to explore areas of subspecialty interest, and work in small learning groups with national and international experts within the specific surgical fields, to learn about the most contemporary issues that are pertinent in current day practice. The format CreatedDate "Hands-On" and "Minds-On" opportunities to evaluate techniques and approaches, whilst allowing the delegates to share in the invaluable experience of the assembled faculty.
This year the programme was constructed to cover:
- Degenerative Mitral Valve Surgery
- Atrial Fibrillation Surgery
- Contemporary Thoracic Surgical Practice
- The Ross Procedure
The International faculty included Hugo Vanermen, Alain Berrebi, Jean-Louis Vanoverschelde, Michael Mack, James Cox, Nicolas Doll, Thorsten Hanke, Maurits Allessie, Valerie Rusch, Malcolm Underwood and Bill Warren.
The national faculty offered a wealth of experience and included many of the leading voices in the UK within the given educational streams;
- Ben Bridgewater and Chris Munsch led the degenerative mitral valve surgical stream, with chair support from Frank Wells, Neil Moat, and Graham Venn. These chairs were supported by a wealth of experienced national faculty and this allowed a high ratio of educators to delegates, thereby facilitating an environment of close and personal interaction with the assembled expertise within the workshops.
- Malcolm Dalrymple-Hay and Peter Braidley led the atrial fibrillation educational stream, with chair support from Sam Nashef, Steve Large, Steve Hunter, and Mike Lewis. Once again an extraordinarily experienced national faculty supported the workshops, allowing exploration of the contemporary issues relating to the topic, including wet lab demonstration of techniques.
- Rajesh Shah led the contemporary thoracic surgical educational stream which included Valerie Rusch and Bill Warren, and a very experienced national thoracic surgical faculty including Maninder Kalkat, David Waller, Juliet King, Ed Black, Ehab Bishay, Antonio Martin-Ucar and John Edwards presented data, and were ably supported by an extremely experienced thoracic multidisciplinary national faculty.
- Asif Hasan and Andrew Parry led the Ross procedure educational stream in which human hearts were used to allow delegates to perform Ross procedures, both as first operator and first assistant. This offered an almost unique opportunity for delegates to gain experience and education in this area of surgical complexity, with a faculty that also included John Pepper and David Anderson.
The SCTS University was over subscribed this year and next year will include 6 educational streams;
these will include OPCAB Surgery, Aortic Surgery, Ischemic Mitral Valve Surgery, Aortic Root Enlargement procedures, including the Konno procedure, and further Contemporary Aspects of Thoracic Surgery.
Consultant cardiac surgeon and organiser of the event Ian Wilson said "The support given by Kevin Austin and Wetlab, alongside the enormous corporate support for the project, offers a fantastic opportunity to develop an educational forum that is invaluable to the total SCTS membership.
More information on SCTS can be found at www.scts.org/