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Ann Thorac Surg 2003;75:S1
© 2003 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Supplement

Introduction

^a Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

The 6th International Meeting on Circulatory Support in Transplantation entitled, "The Heart Failure & Circulatory Support Summit," was held in cooperation with The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and The Cleveland Clinic Foundation on August 22–25, 2002, in Cleveland, Ohio. Since the last symposium in 2000, the fields of heart failure surgery, mechanical circulatory support, and transplantation have matured. As a result, we thought that participation should be broadened by inviting heart failure cardiologists. To that end, a unique design feature of this meeting was that it engaged experts in the field of heart failure surgery and end-stage heart failure management as participants and presenters. This approach provided a unique perspective on the field, giving both surgeons and cardiologists an opportunity to hear each others’ viewpoints and develop collaborative strategies toward managing congestive heart failure.

Attendance at the meeting approached 600 attendees and faculty including approximately 50 international attendees. The program included a broad review of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical management of congestive heart failure, reviewing traditional pharmacological management as well as resynchronization therapy with pacemakers and the use of implantable defibrillators. Participants were able to hear about the latest innovative strategies for congestive heart failure including cellular transplantation, high-risk coronary artery bypass grafting, valve surgery, left ventricular reconstruction, and gene therapy.

The program offered in-depth coverage of the utilization of left ventricular assist devices from a much broader perspective than in the past. Presentations included not only discussions about traditional uses for bridge to transplantation but also the newer developing areas of bridge to recovery. In addition, important lessons from the REMATCH Trial with the HeartMate left ventricular assist device for destination therapy were reviewed. An extensive review of the outcome data including adverse events and the effects of patient selection on outcome was detailed. Finally, the newer technologies using the AbioCor Total Artificial Heart and the newer continuous flow devices were presented. Attendees had an opportunity to hear about the groundbreaking technology in early clinical trials as well as in the developmental stages.

We have selected 14 presentations to be included in this supplement to The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. These reports represent an important cross-section including surgery for end-stage ischemic disease, cellular transplantation, and the use of ventricular assist devices for bridge to transplantation, recovery of function, and destination therapy. Finally, the supplement includes a review of continuous blood flow pumps and the AbioCor Total Artificial Heart.

This symposium represented an opportunity for surgeons, physicians, and allied medical personnel to learn about what we consider to be state-of-the-art technology and its application and management in our field. The unique format of this meeting represented the true potential for a multidisciplinary approach to end-stage congestive heart failure.

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 Kormos, R. L. Articles by Smedira, N. G. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Kormos, R. L. Articles by Smedira, N. G.