[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1297","field_deltas":{},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":90,"width":437,"style":"width: 300px; height: 62px; float: right; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid; margin: 2px;","class":"media-image media-element file-media-large","data-delta":"1"},"fields":{}}]]For the first time since the 2013 Vascular Annual Meeting in San Francisco, SVS and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons are teaming up to present a summit on aortic topics of mutual interest and expertise.
The summit, “Advances and Controversies in the Management of Complex Thoracoabdominal Aneurysmal Disease and Type B Aortic Dissection,” will take place from 1:30 to 5:15 p.m. Saturday, in SDCC, Room 3. A separate registration fee is required; all members are encouraged to attend this unique discussion with experts from multiple disciplines reviewing the most contemporary treatments for these complex problems, said Dr. Jason T. Lee. He and Dr. Wilson Szeto of STS are co-moderating the program. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1296","field_deltas":{},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":195,"width":480,"style":"width: 275px; height: 112px; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid; margin: 2px; float: right;","class":"media-image media-element file-media-large","data-delta":"2"},"fields":{}}]]
The 2013 symposium was so “extremely valuable, productive and popular” that leaders from both societies felt it was time to reinvigorate the collaborative program, said Dr. Szeto. Members of both specialties care for patients with aortic disease, with a great deal of overlap in the management of disease processes and treatments. “It makes sense to continue to foster and embrace this collaboration with the goal of improving patient care,” said Dr. Szeto. “A multidisciplinary approach of an aortic disease team is the ideal paradigm, in our opinion. We prefer to work in teams, not silos.”
With that in mind, Dr. Joseph Bavaria, immediate past president of STS, and SVS President Dr. Ronald Fairman worked to make the vision of a 2017 summit a reality
It will cover the technical aspects of both open and endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aneurysms, compare and contrast options for preserving spinal cord function and identify current and future treatment options in the arena of TEVAR focusing on aortic dissection.
“To optimize best delivery of patient-centered care, when it comes to complex aortic disease, collaboration and team management are necessary,” said Dr. Lee. “Institutions that have experts who work together and provide all types of technologies, whether open or endovascular, will be best equipped to provide the level of care necessary for best outcomes. To assemble numerous experts from across the country and world to discuss these issues will make this a very educational and exciting session.”
The summit is broken into several parts. Drs. Lee and Szeto will moderate the thoracoabdominal section and Drs. Matthew Eagleton (SVS) and Michael Fischbein (STS) will moderate the portion on Type B Aortic Dissection.
The summit will conclude with a look to the future in the treatment of aortic disease. Dr. Szeto will discuss how to optimally train future cardiovascular surgeons to manage complex aortic disease while Dr. R. Clement Darling, III, SVS President-elect, will talk about the need for members of both specialties to work together as open and endovascular experts to manage complex aortic disease.
Team effort to ContinueThe surgeons and society leaders involved in this summit want continued collaboration to become a cultural expectation. It is expected that future summits will be held in alternate venues: at the SVS Annual Meeting this year, at the STS Annual Meeting the next time.
“That shows it’s a team effort, that yes, we’re going to care for these complex patients together as a multidisciplinary aortic team, and collaborate nationally to exchange ideas,”according to Drs. Szeto and Lee.