HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Correction (v82,p1955) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wood, D. E. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Wood, D. E. Related Collections Professional affairs

Ann Thorac Surg 2006;82:372-380
© 2006 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

---

Report

Forty-Second Annual Meeting, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

The first 300 words of the full text of this article appear below.

	Introduction

 
The Forty-Second Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons was held at McCormick Place in Chicago, January 30–February 1, 2006, with an attendance of almost 4,500, including spouses and exhibitors. A total of 1,219 members and 1,110 guest physicians attended the Scientific Sessions.

The program this year greatly increased attendance at the second STS University, which featured four didactic courses, seven wet labs, five live surgical procedures, and a video demonstration. More than 700 participants attended STS University for hands-on training in adult cardiac, general thoracic, and congenital cardiac procedures.

The Monday morning General Scientific Session featured the presentation of three J. Maxwell Chamberlain Memorial Papers: "Determinants of Left Ventricular Dysfunction After Anatomic Repair of Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries," "Long-Term Results from the National Emphysema Treatment Trial," and "Stent-Grafting of the Thoracic Aorta by the Cardiothoracic Surgeon."

A variety of other educational opportunities were also available this year, including the Parallel Surgical Forums, Patient Safety Town Hall Meeting, Cardiothoracic Surgeons in the Military Program, Women in Thoracic Surgery 20th Anniversary Meeting, Surgical Motion Pictures, Meet the Experts Sessions, and the Tuesday Breakfast Sessions.

Of particular note were three highly motivating presentations: the Presidential Address, the Thomas B. Ferguson Lecture, and the Medical Ethics Debate. In his Presidential Address "Navigating the New ‘Flat World' of Cardiothoracic Surgery," Dr Sidney Levitsky discussed how competition from abroad and the pressures of improving the bottom line are affecting medicine as they have the business world. Dr David Taggart, the Thomas B. Ferguson Lecturer, reviewed the data that demonstrated the actual outcomes patients have experienced after CABG and after stent placement. His presentation highlighted the importance of patients being fully informed before making a treatment decision since the data demonstrates that in a majority of cases, CABG is the best treatment . . . [Full Text of this Article]