European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery

European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery
Name	European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery
Abbreviation	EACTS
Formation	1986
Headquarters	Amsterdam
Region served	Europe
Membership	Cardiothoracic surgeons
Leader title	President

European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery is a professional association founded to represent cardiothoracic surgeons and allied specialists across Europe, coordinating clinical practice, research, and education among institutions such as Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Karolinska Institutet, Imperial College London, Heidelberg University Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna and Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. It conducts annual meetings and collaborates with organizations including American Association for Thoracic Surgery, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, European Society of Cardiology, European Respiratory Society, World Health Organization, European Commission and European Union agencies to harmonize standards affecting centers like Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou, Ospedale San Raffaele, Leiden University Medical Center and University Medical Center Utrecht.

History

The association emerged in the mid-1980s amid developments at institutions such as John Radcliffe Hospital, St Bartholomew's Hospital, Gothenburg University Hospital and University of Vienna and with influences from figures associated with Great Ormond Street Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and Mount Sinai Hospital (New York City). Early collaborations referenced protocols from European Heart Journal contributors and drew on lessons from multicenter trials like those sponsored by National Institutes of Health (United States) and registries modeled after Swedish Heart-Lung Registry initiatives. Its growth paralleled initiatives at European Society for Vascular Surgery, International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery and national bodies such as Royal College of Surgeons of England, German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and Société Française de Chirurgie Thoracique et Cardio-Vasculaire.

Mission and Objectives

The association's mission aligns with standards promoted by World Medical Association, European Medicines Agency, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and clinical guidelines from European Society of Cardiology and American College of Cardiology. Objectives include promoting clinical excellence at centers like University College Hospital, London, Christie Hospital, Erasmus MC, Hospital Universitario La Paz and San Raffaele Hospital, fostering research partnerships with Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, Horizon 2020 consortia and registries inspired by UK National Adult Cardiac Surgery Audit and supporting harmonized training akin to frameworks from European Board of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and Federation of European Societies for Surgery of the Hand.

Organization and Governance

Governance comprises an elected council, committees and working groups interacting with member societies such as Società Italiana di Chirurgia Cardiaca, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Thoraxchirurgie, Polish Cardiac Society, Sociedad Española de Cirugía Cardiovascular y Endovascular and specialist committees linked to European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care. Leadership roles rotate among surgeons from institutions including Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, UZ Leuven, Karolinska University Hospital, CHU de Bordeaux and University Hospital Zurich, with bylaws influenced by best practices from International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and corporate governance models used by Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

Activities and Programs

Programs span clinical registries, quality improvement, guideline development and multicenter trials in partnership with European Medicines Agency, European Society of Cardiology, European Respiratory Society and academic centers like University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, KU Leuven, Technical University of Munich and LMU Munich. Initiatives include outcomes benchmarking using data models similar to STS National Database, collaborative research networks like those funded through Horizon 2020 and public health engagement with European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. The association also runs clinical practice committees focusing on procedures performed at University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau and Aarhus University Hospital.

Publications and Research

Its flagship journal and supplementary publications disseminate peer-reviewed studies, consensus statements and registry reports with contributors from European Heart Journal, The Lancet, The BMJ, Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Circulation authors and research groups at BioMed Central partner institutions. Research outputs include randomized trials, observational registry analyses and guidelines developed with collaborators such as European Society of Cardiology Task Force, European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions and university research units at Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Institut Pasteur, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Francis Crick Institute.

Education, Training, and Certification

Educational activities encompass fellowship programs, hands-on courses, simulation training and certification frameworks modeled on curricula from European Board of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons of England examinations and postgraduate programs at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève and Leiden University Medical Center. Collaborations extend to training initiatives run with European Society for Cardiac Surgery-affiliated centers, cross-border mobility guided by European Commission directives, and mentorship schemes involving senior surgeons from Cairns Hospital, National University Hospital (Singapore), Toronto General Hospital and Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto).

Awards and Conferences

Annual congresses rotate among host cities including Barcelona, Vienna, Paris, Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Lisbon, Stockholm and Copenhagen with scientific sessions featuring speakers from Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Awards recognize clinical innovation, basic science and quality improvement, drawing nominees associated with Nobel Prize-level research centers, grant programs from European Research Council and philanthropic foundations like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Wellcome Trust.

Category:European medical associations