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Ann Thorac Surg 2004;77:1874-1875
© 2004 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Workforce Reports

Mentoring clinical trials in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery: a new role for the society of thoracic surgeons

^a Division of Thoracic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
^b Geisinger Heart Institute, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Heart Hospital, Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA
^c Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
^d Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Louisiana State University Cardiovascular Outcomes Research Group, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
^e Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado, USA
^f Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
^g University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
^h University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
ⁱ Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA

^* Address reprint requests to Workforce on Clinical Trials, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Headquarters, 633 N Saint Clair St, Suite 2320, Chicago, IL 60611-3658, USA
e-mail: hgaissert@partners.org

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

There exists today a critical need to stimulate clinical and translational research, in thoracic and cardiovascular diseases and beyond our field [1]. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is acutely aware of the challenges facing our patients over the next decade. These include a preserved access to specialty care and a more efficient use of health-care resources. Within these constraints, cardiothoracic surgeons are asked to improve outcomes and to respond with rapid translation of improved therapies, from basic science research and clinical investigations, to better the care of the individual patient. Collaborative multi-institutional research is a critical component of an effective response to this challenge.

Members of the STS demonstrate their commitment to research daily by participating in virtually every regional and national cardiothoracic trial. The success of the National Cardiac Surgery Database and a growing national and international membership offer the STS new options to support collaborative research and a network to conduct trials. The existing site management, at more than 480 institutions participating in the STS database, provides a structure for future clinical investigations. Using the national database to facilitate collaborative research among its members would introduce new activities to the Society; such efforts should therefore be planned and defined with care. Certain considerations are intuitive. The STS itself should not conduct clinical trials, but should serve to identify thoracic surgeons (individually or in groups) with interest and skill in the investigation of the clinical problem at hand. The STS can assist interested parties, such as surgeons and institutions, and public or private trial management groups. The STS should not seek to duplicate efforts or compete for trial design, but rather should support clinical investigations in ways that are compatible with the objectives . . . [Full Text of this Article]