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Ann Thorac Surg 2001;71:S223
© 2001 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Introduction

Presented at the VIII International Symposium on Cardiac Bioprostheses, Cancun, Mexico, Nov 3–5, 2000.

Many participants attending the VIII International Symposium on Cardiac Bioprostheses, which took place in Cancun, Mexico, November 3 to 5, 2000, asked us to publish the welcome address given by Professor Alain Carpentier. This address provides interesting retrospective and prospective thoughts about our organization.

The Annals of Thoracic Surgery has been kind enough to publish the best contributions presented during the last meeting. Fifty-three papers among the 120 submitted and presented were selected for publication after peer review. The reader will benefit from this updated information on cardiovascular bioprostheses and grafts and from the most recent progress made in this field. We thank our sponsors and Carol Blasberg for their valuable assistance.

José L. Pomar, MD, PhD

Acting Chairman

The Scientific Committee for the Advancement of Cardiac Bioprostheses

Department of Surgery

Hospital Clinic

University of Barcelona

Barcelona, Spain

Munich, London, Rome, San Diego, Avignon, Vancouver, Barcelona, Cancun: these cities resound in the memory of hundreds of cardiac surgeons, specialists, and engineers as locations of some of the best scientific meetings they have ever attended. Each city in which these meetings on valvular bioprostheses took place and each local organizing committee lent a special flavor to the meetings, which all have in common some unique features.

Unique in the fact that these meetings are not organized by a society with elected members, an administration, and a journal but by a scientific committee responsible for the scientific program and a local organizing committee responsible for the social program. Unique in the fact that the scientific program is devoted to valvular and vascular bioprostheses and grafts, with special emphasis on basic research. Unique in the fact that these meetings take place once every 3 years so that there are always new information and new innovations to learn. Unique also in that for each meeting a different country in a different part of the world is selected with special attention to the social program in order to add a cultural dimension. For example, attendance at events of the Olympics are often part of the social program so meeting participants can develop a sense of mens sana in corpore sano.

All these features explain the growing success of our meetings and the somewhat magical spirit that surrounds them. We were a little fewer than 100 participants in Munich in 1979. We were more than 600 in Cancun without taking into account accompanying persons, which almost doubled this number. Success is attractive. Some would like us to join other societies that could take advantage of the dynamism of our organization. We do not wish an alliance that would lead to the end of our organization. Yet, we know that any organization must evolve to survive and flourish. Our evolution is happening. The most visible sign is the decision of the Scientific Committee to appoint four new young members and the decision of the chairman to resign in order to leave the place to a younger individual. Doctor José Pomar from Barcelona, Spain, has been elected to take that position. During the meeting in Barcelona, which was one of the most memorable, José showed remarkable qualities as an organizer and a true leader. A third change will be to discuss with other societies how to cooperate with them with mutual respect. Since we are not programmed for apoptosis, we will continue to have our triennial meetings. The next will be in Venice, Italy, with Professor Dino Casarotto from Padua, Italy, serving as chairman of the local organizing committee.

Alain Carpentier, MD, PhD

Honorary Chairman and Founder

The Scientific Committee for the Advancement of Cardiac Bioprostheses

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and Organ Transplantation

Hôpital Europeen Georges Pompidou

Paris, France

This Article Full Text (PDF) 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 Pomar, J. Articles by Carpentier, A. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Pomar, J. Articles by Carpentier, A.