Annual meeting 2021 Daisy Sandeman

Annual meeting 2021

Daisy Sandeman, on behalf of the organising team

In February 2021 the meeting committee and SCTS senior leadership team gathered in Edinburgh to deliver our first totally virtual meeting. It was a successful meeting with a record number of abstracts and high quality content delivered by national and international faculty. Our industry partners brought their innovations on cyber platforms and continued their unconditional support to the Society. We had three plenary sessions including the Presidential address and lifetime achievement awards. There was no usual splendour of the auditorium nor the warmth and applause of attendees that we are accustomed to during the annual meeting. We did our best, but we missed you all!

With this in mind, the meeting team have wowed to deliver a physical/face-toface meeting in ICC Belfast from 8th – 10th May 2022. Of course, this will only proceed if there continues to be a break in the diary of the notorious coronavirus. We have drawn lessons from the previous meeting and plan to conduct a virtual arm as well to bring the content to an international audience. The abstract submission closed on the 5th November and the meeting team along with the Review team gathered on 22nd November to organise the accepted abstracts and finalise the programme.

The actual meeting is planned to be packed with a variety ranging from sessions on outstanding cardiothoracic research to practical updates on implementing the SCTS toolkit. On Sunday, 8th May the SCTS University is expected to draw the delegates to an exciting line up of educational streams as part of the SCTS University Day. The hugely popular wet lab in the clinical sessions of the NAHP stream will return to our meeting along with various updated sessions related to nursing and allied health professionals. For the second year running, the well-received NAHP research meeting will have a dedicated stream. We are always delighted to run our medical student engagement sessions, where students present their abstracts, get the opportunity to interact formally and informally with faculty and get more insight into a cardiothoracic specialty career. The University will boast one thoracic and two cardiac educational streams. After several years break a star studded line up from the world of transplantation are waiting to join us. The organisation of the University programme will see SCTS members contributing from the Heart Valve Society, BISMICS and UK Aortic society. It is expected to be an enriching and interactive day with a bonus of boosting our CME.

The meeting will formally open with a welcome reception where our SCTS President and the Executive members meet and greet with attendees and guests for supporting the annual meeting. The toast is to the back drop of light entertainment bringing life to the vast display of our exhibitors. The various symposia will be nestled between the University and main meeting. The trainee meeting and the focus on Women in Cardiothoracic surgery will feature along with industry led sessions.

On Monday, 9th May 2022, the main meeting will commence with the new feature of three plenary sessions bringing to life the President’s vision of promoting togetherness in the speciality. This session will feature the introduction of the SCTS toolkit, the new aortic dissection toolkit, presentation of the life time achievement award and the presidential address. This will be followed by six parallel streams of abstract driven sessions, some with keynote lectures conducted by invited special guests. There are planned breaks where the delegates will get the opportunity to visit the poster displays, interact with the exhibitors and network with their colleagues. The second plenary will once again draw us all into the auditorium where the SCTS research leads showcase multicentre research within and outside the United Kingdom. There will be presentations from national and international chief investigators giving insight and encouragement to drive the research agenda forward.

Day two continues to be engaging with several more sessions themed on the trend of abstract topics submitted this year. The newly rebranded CT NAHP forum also has an array of chosen topics with discussions to follow on some of the developments and show case best practice in the different NAHP areas. The meeting committee have taken on board the feedback from previous meetings and plan to have an earlier finish to the concluding day. Participants can therefore make reasonable travel arrangements without having to miss any sessions.

Although the annual meeting is mostly known for the quality of its educational and scientific content, it is also famous for its social diary. This year the meeting team have gone the extra mile to deliver it. We start on Saturday, 7th May 2022 with a day excursion arranged to take delegates to the world-famous Giant’s Causeway with a pit stop to a pub for refreshments and appropriate beverages (after all we are in Northern Ireland). There will be an exclusive drinks reception at the end of the University Day on Sunday 8th May 2022 followed by a cosy but competitive pub quiz to get the delegates in the mood for the rest of the meeting. On Monday, 9th May 2022, the hugely popular and much sought after Annual Gala Dinner will be held at the spectacular Hilton – Lagan Hall. Here the delegates can get all shaken and stirred – à la Bond returns with A Licence to Live.

Belfast city was chosen after much thought for this Comeback Meeting. Its historic significance along with the flourishing city-life offerings was thought to be ideal and provides delegates ample choices to make the best out of their trip to Belfast. We look forward to welcoming you all again to our annual meeting 2022, which will have more significance than ever before. Hope you have managed to put in your presentations, book your leave and prepared to get on that flight to attend another memorable annual meeting. n

From the SCTS annual meeting organising team

Dear colleagues

We feel a sense of déjà vu as we send you this piece of communication at this time of the year.

The emergence of the Omicron COVID variant in recent days, with increased infectivity and transmissibility, will result in a rapid increase in hospital admissions in the coming weeks. This will adversely affect our already stretched and fragile health care system, with surgical specialities bearing the brunt of it. The uncertainty, apprehension and preoccupation with preparing and being a part of strategies to confront the surge will leave little appetite for individuals to consider and plan for any other ventures like the Annual Meeting. The NHS and our patients need us now more than ever, we need to support each other demonstrating the rare camaraderie our speciality is proud of and hope the anticipated wave of infection is short and swift, with lesser hospital admissions.

In such difficult and uncertain times, there will be little desire to make arrangements to travel and register for the forthcoming SCTS Annual meeting in Belfast in March.

We have made the decision to postpone the Annual meeting to 8th – 10th May 2022. This deferment has been agreed after consulting the experts, who are confident about early May being the opportune time to hold such a meeting.

We will continue to monitor the situation and will come back with more information.

We wish you all the best.

SCTS annual meeting organising team