Fall/Winter 2011 Edition

ISMICS
Board of Directors

John L. Knight, MD

I am delighted and honored to serve as the President of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery (ISMICS) for the 2011-2012 year, and would like to thank the membership for supporting me in this important role. I am proud to follow so many innovative leaders in the minimally invasive surgery field, and will do my best to carry on their work of growing ISMICS and raising its stature throughout the world.

ISMICS is approaching its 15th Anniversary as a society, and looking back over the past 15 years, I am amazed at the growth and success that we have experienced in that span of time. The Society now has over 790 members representing almost every region of the world. We began as a small group with a topic-focused program, and have now grown to a multi-track 4-day Annual Meeting of close to 800 attendees. Our scientific program committees have, over the years, developed a series of Postgraduate Courses, with programming across all areas of minimally invasive cardiac and thoracic surgery, and hands-on training opportunities. We have also begun to explore hybrid treatment options in the cardiology and cardiovascular specialties, and 2012 will see ISMICS with an expanded robotic presence at our Annual Meeting.

Our 2012 Annual Meeting will be held 30 May to 2 June 2012, at the brand new JW Marriott located at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles, California. I urge you to visit our website www.ismics.org and learn more about this new and vital area of Los Angeles, and submit your best work for consideration. Our abstract submission site is open until 12 December 2011, and I urge you to submit your work if you have not yet done so.

ISMICS held its first "Winter Workshop" in 2004 in India, and since that time ISMICS has continued to expand its educational outreach, offering co-sponsorship of courses and meetings held around the world throughout the year. This year's Winter Workshop was held on 10 November 2011 in Xiamen, China, in conjunction with the 11th Annual Congress of the Chinese Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Dr. Hu Shengshou and I served as the Winter Workshop Co-Chairs, and Drs. Changqing Gao, Randall Wolf and Xu Meng as course directors. Our hosts in Xiamen were welcoming and gracious, and the ISMICS program was incredibly successful and well-attended. I extend my sincere personal thanks to Drs. Hu, Wolf, Gao and Meng for their hospitality and superb organization, as well as to Dr. Larry Meng who also could not have been more welcoming or helpful. We are looking forward to having many of the fine Chinese surgeons who were present in Xiamen join us as members of ISMICS.

Last year ISMICS established an Academic Governance Committee, which is charged with overseeing educational outreach including the workshops as well as co-sponsorship of relevant courses. Our first co-sponsored course, the first Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Summit, was held in September under the direction of Drs. W. Randolph Chitwood, Evelio Rodriguez and Wiley Nifong at the East Carolina Heart Institute in Greenville, North Carolina. Fifty surgeons from around the world traveled to Greenville to attend, and experienced multiple live surgery sessions as well as intense hands-on training opportunities. ISMICS also co-sponsored the 1st Einstein International Symposium for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on 17-19 November 2011, under the direction of Dr. Robinson Poffo. Special thanks to Dr. Poffo and also Dr. Wiley Nifong, who helped to organize an extremely successful program. Finally, Drs. Francis Ferdinand and Alex Zapolanski will co-chair the spring ISMICS Workshop in Lima, Peru, on 17-21 March 2012. This meeting will be held in conjunction with the VI Latin American Congress of Cardiovascular, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, XVII National Congress of the Peruvian Society of Cardiovascular, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, and V Cardio Bio-assist Congress, under the co-chairs Drs. Eduardo Nieto Balarezo and Alfonso Rivas-plata.

One of my primary goals for this year has been to expand and solidify the activity of our ISMICS Committees. We look forward to the participation of many of the members in this new structure, and to have a role in the future of the Society. I truly want to engage our members in ongoing activities which benefit our society and our specialty. Over the fall we conducted a volunteer outreach, asking members to step forward to serve, and the response to date has been impressive. If you have not yet responded, please do so by contacting the administrative office, admin@ismics.org, and letting us know how you would like to be more actively involved in your society. Committee assignments are being finalized, and the Board and I warmly welcome your approach as we prepare to issue formal appointments.

I look forward to an exciting year for ISMICS and hope you will join me in participating in all its activities.

John L. Knight, MD, FRACS
President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 7, 2011

Contact: Barbara Dunn, University Health Systems Strategic Development, 252.847.7599 or bddunn@uhseast.com

Only Second American to Receive International Accolade

GREENVILLE, NC – W. Randolph Chitwood Jr., M.D., director of The East Carolina Heart Institute, has received Russia's highest recognition for cardiovascular surgical achievement – the Bakoulev Premium Medal. The award makes Chitwood the second American in history to receive the honor.

Chitwood received this medal from the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and the Bakoulev Scientific Center for Cardiovascular Surgery for his groundbreaking work in minimally invasive cardiac procedures, especially those that include use of robotics. He currently leads the cardiovascular team that has performed the most robotic mitral valve repair procedures in the world. To date, they have performed approximately 700 surgeries using this method. To date, they have performed over 2,500 operations using minimally invasive methods.

"It's an honor to receive this recognition for an important scientific achievement that is also integral to good patient care," Chitwood said. "Ten years ago, no one in medicine believed we could robotically repair mitral valves – they thought I was a heretic. Today, however, more people are starting to do it because they realize it does improve patient care and patient safety."

Chitwood received the award in Moscow on Oct. 12, the 55^th anniversary of the Bakoulev Center. Other recipients were Alain Carpentier (France) for pioneering cardiac valve surgery, Vincent Dor (Monaco) for developing methods to remodel destroyed heart muscle, and Adib Jatene (Brazil) for being the first to correct congenitally switched major heart vessels in babies. The widow of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin received an honorary award for her support of the Bakoulev Center.

At the ceremony, each award recipient planted a tree to be a lasting physical reminder of his/her achievements in cardiac surgery. Chitwood said he felt as though he were "standing in the shadows of giants" in his field.

Steve Lawler, president of Pitt County Memorial Hospital, said Dr. Chitwood has dedicated his life to advancements in innovation, teaching and education, and care.

"Dr. Chitwood's legacy includes a pathway of lives changed." Lawler said, "The lives of patients, families, colleagues and those involved in the art of health care have all benefited from his vision and commitment to excellence."

Dr. Paul Cunningham, dean of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, said the award is a well-deserved recognition for a pioneer and visionary surgeon.

"Dr. Chitwood is recognized for his lifetime of achievement, right here in Greenville, and is in the company of other world leaders," Cunningham said. "This is quite remarkable."

The Heart Institute is a collaboration between Pitt County Memorial Hospital (PCMH) and East Carolina University (ECU). The hospital is the inpatient care facility; ECU houses the outpatient education and research facility. PCMH has been an international leader in performing robotic mitral valve repairs for the past decade. In May 2000, Chitwood performed North America's first robot-assisted total mitral valve repair at PCMH and was also the first to do so using a videoscopic technique.

Instead of a large mid-chest incision, the robotic method makes a smaller, 2-inch incision on the side of the chest and uses endoscopic instruments to repair the malfunctioning valve. The efficacy of this minimally invasive procedure, he said, equals that of the conventional open-heart method. It also decreases recovery time and limits the cosmetic impact on the patient.

According to Chitwood, he and his team have trained surgeons from Japan, Taiwan, China, and India for a week before accompanying them back home and guiding them through the first time they perform the surgery.

Chitwood said that although the Bakoulev medal bears his name, it really highlights the Heart Institute's expertise with robotic cardiac surgery, will increase the number of surgeons nationwide who adopt the procedure, and has turned North Carolina into a cardiac care destination. Currently, more than half of his robotic mitral valve repair patients come from out-of-state.

"This award is a sign of arrival for robotic mitral valve surgery. It's gone from 'this isn't going to work' to 'this is the new standard of care,'" Chitwood said. "The East Carolina Heart Institute is known internationally for its vibrant training program with robotic heart surgery both for practicing surgeons and residents. Physicians across the country talk about us."

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University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina Inc., a mission-driven, not-for-profit corporation, owns, leases or has a majority membership interest in nine eastern North Carolina hospitals and has a management agreement with one other. UHS includes Albemarle Health, Beaufort Hospital, Bertie Memorial Hospital, Chowan Hospital, Duplin General Hospital, Heritage Hospital, Outer Banks Hospital, Pitt County Memorial Hospital, Pungo Hospital, Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, University Home Health and Hospice; ViQuest and physician practices, and is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. On the web at www.uhseast.com.

The East Carolina Heart Institute is a unique partnership that includes University Health Systems' Pitt County Memorial Hospital and East Carolina University, along with cardiovascular experts in private practice, academic medicine and research. It is the first of its kind in North Carolina, devoted exclusively to the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases at all levels. With the patient at the center, the Heart Institute employs a fully integrated approach to cardiovascular care that combines education, research and the practice of medicine and surgery.

Dr. Knight and the ISMICS Board of Directors would like to extend sincere thanks to all who volunteered their service to ISMICS during the fall volunteer recruitment campaign. Committee assignments are being finalized now, and we will be sending invitations to serve on various ISMICS committees shortly. If you have not yet volunteered, and would like to do so, please send an email to admin@ismics.org, and we will add your name to the list.