Highlights
SCTSLTD.CO.UK is Live
Our new website, www.sctsltd.co.uk is now live and has been designed to address issues of professional practice which are not covered by our existing website, to foster closer relationships with our valued commercial sponsors and to enable debate and discussion through website fora for the different groups within the speciality.
An additional service is the cardiothoracic job centre, which is the only employment portal focussed on cardiothoracic surgery and will operate exclusively as a web-based service.
If you have any questions regarding the new website, would like to place a job advert or include an article, please contact Isabelle Ferner on 020 7869 6893 or sctsadmin@scts.org
Response to Atrial Fibrilllation Consensus
Please click here for further information regarding the above.
Vacancies for Members on the Specialty Advisory Committees
Please click here for full details.
BCIS TAVI
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an emerging alternative therapy for patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis who are at high risk from conventional surgical aortic valve replacement. A number of programmes exist within the United Kingdom and Ireland and many more units are likely to embark upon a programme in the near future. A working party was set-up by the European Society of Cardiology and European Associate of Cardiothoracic Surgery to look at the current status of TAVI and to produce a paper of recommendations regarding the current status of this technology, the requirements for establishing such a programme and the dissemination of this technology. The link below will take you to this document and I think it is essential reading for those individuals or units with active programmes or those planning to establish programmes in the near future as well as being of general interest (Vahanian et al. Eur J Cardiothor Surg. 2008 Jul; 34(1): 1-8).
A joint SCTS/BCIS group has also produced a recommended dataset for collection in patients undergoing TAVI and also a joint position statement (with BCIS) in relation to TAVI. This can also be found by following this link.
NICE Guidance on Antibiotic Prophylaxis
SCTS is concerned that NICE guidance on antibiotic prophylaxis guidance may not be appropriate for all patients. The consequences of endocarditis are so devastating in some patients that SCTS believes all measures to reduce the risk of this, including antibiotic prophylaxis, should be considered.
Healthcare professionals and patients should take into account their individual circumstances as well as NICE guidance when considering the use of antibiotic prophylaxis.
We will use our comprehensive national database to monitor any change in the incidence of endocarditis and would ask NICE to have a low threshold for reviewing their guidance if there is any suspicion of an increasing incidence of endocarditis?.
HEALTHCARE COMMISSION SCTS PUBLIC PORTAL UPDATED
Please click on the link below to take you to the Healthcare Commission press release regarding the updated public portal:
Click here to go to Public Portal
Society for Cardiothoraic Surgery (SCTS) Statement: Response to NCEPOD Report on Bypass Graft Operations
Please click on the link here to read the Society's response to the report.
Joint Response to NCEPOD Report on Bypass Graft from SCTS and the Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthetists (ACTA)
The Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery (SCTS) and the Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthetists (ACTA) are united in their desire to provide the highest standards of care for patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The overall mortality for elective coronary artery bypass grafts in the UK has halved over the past 4 years and is now less than 1%. This has occurred at a time when waiting times for cardiac surgery have been dramatically reduced. Recognising that organisational factors were important in the provision of care, SCTS had asked NCEPOD to undertake this study, the results of which are published today.
SCTS and ACTA are wholly committed to the implementation of the recommendations of the report, to ensure continuing improvement in the quality of care and outcome for patients undergoing cardiac surgery..
Leslie Hamilton Jean-Pierre van Besouw
President SCTS Chairman ACTA
The Impact of the European Work Time Directive On the Delivery of Cardiothoracic Services
Please click here to download the letter sent to the Chief Executives of all cardiothoracic units about the above.
Good Surgical Practice
Please click on the link here to take you to a pdf version of Good Surgical Practice 2008.
Discussion Fora
We are in the process of setting up various discussion fora covering the different interest groups within cardiothoracic surgery. Whilst we wait for some access issues to be resolved, please log on here to link to a thoracic surgery discussion forum already established.
SCTS Data Document
The SCTS Data Document and Calculators are now available to download from the Members Only Section. Please contact Isabelle Ferner at sctsadmin@scts.org shoudl you require your CTSNet id.
NEW WAYS OF WORKING
Please click here to open the relevant document regarding staffing the cardiothoracic unit. Please send any comments regarding this document to Isabelle Ferner at sctsadmin@scts.org
ISCP
See Nick Ross launch the ISCP, access your Getting Started Hospital Doctor booklet, a Step-by-Step Guide and all the guidance you need, whether a trainee, consultant trainer, assigned educational supervisor or programme director.
www.iscp.ac.uk provides comprehensive information on the syllabus, competences, standards and assessment whenever trainees take up their posts. The ISCP covers all nine surgical specialties.
Any questions? Contact the Helpdesk team - helpdesk@iscp.ac.uk or telephone 020 7869 6299.
The ISCP has been developed by all Surgical Colleges of Great Britain and Ireland and all nine Surgical Specialty Associations under the umbrella of the Joint Committee of Surgical Training (JCST).
MEDICO-LEGAL EXPERT WITNESSES
Please click on the link below for a list of individuals willing to undertake medico-legal work. Please note that the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland does not endorse any of the information which has been provided voluntarily by the individuals themselves.
Expert Witnesses download (pdf)
Expert Witness download (Excel)
Please download a covering letter and form to complete should you be interested in putting yourself forward for medico-legal work
Covering letter
Medico-legal proforma
Letters from the various defense organisations and the GMC regarding their selection of expert witnesses can be found by clicking on the links below:
GMC
MDDUS
MDU
MPS
WHY SHOULD I BECOME A MEMBER OF SCTS?
Please view the benefits of membership.
SOCIETY OBJECTIVES 2006-2008
Following a recent Executive we have drawn up a list of objectives to work through for the next 2 years. They can be downloaded here .
PUBLIC PORTAL
The data quality visits that are mentioned in the public portal can be downloaded here:Barts and the London NHS Trust
Freeman Hospital, Newcastle
James Cook University Hospital
Leeds General Infirmary
John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford
North General Hospital, Sheffield
See Improving Quality for suggested Best Practice in Data Validation