Presidential Address: 5th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery

(#2002-01301 ... June 23, 2002)

Hermann Reichenspurner, MD, PhD

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

Introduction

This presidential address gives me the opportunity to describe the progress, aims, and goals of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (ISMICS). There is no doubt that at present ISMICS is THE worldwide organization dedicated to advancing new techniques in cardiac surgery. ISMICS was founded in 1997 to enhance, promote, and support research and education in new techniques of cardiac surgery. It has formed a strong partnership with industry, and in particular with start-up companies. It currently has a leadership role in guiding the direction of less invasive cardiac surgery on a global basis.

Table 1 depicts the present Executive Board and Board of Directors. At this time I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Robert W. Emery, MD, who was the founder and first president of ISMICS and has devoted an enormous amount of time, energy, and work into the establishment of this society.

The membership report between June 2001 and June 2002 lists 593 active current members from various parts of the world. The medical specialties in ISMICS consist mainly of either cardiac or cardiothoracic surgeons. The number of pediatric cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, and cardiologists is slowly growing (Table 2). In addition to these specialists, the desired extended membership spectrum should consist of PhDs working in basic research or for industry, residents and trainees in cardiac surgery, nurses working in the field of cardiac surgery or cardiology, and perfusionists. Table 3a ( ) describes the geographical breakdown of all active members, with the United States being the country with the most members (344 members), followed by Germany (26 members). Table 4 depicts the geographic distribution of members within the United States.

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