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Globalization

Saint Vincent Hospital 25 Winthrop Street Worcester, MA 01604-4593 USA

The recent editorial¹ by Robert Replogle, MD, highlights several important issues. It is clear that the progress in transportation and communication has made the world smaller and more accessible. The Internet has become a necessary medium to access information and communicate. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) has taken advantage of this powerful modality and expanded it to the entire world with the addition of the CTSNet (www.ctsnet.org). In addition, cardiac surgeons are communicating more and more worldwide. Participation in international scientific meetings along with local visits helps personalize the concern for international cooperation and dialogue. The national, regional, and international societies gain tremendously by advocating these international initiatives.

Another challenge is the development of an international database containing all the programs, cardiac surgeons, and annual caseloads. The cooperative effort of industry, the various cardiac societies and organizations, and individual cardiac surgeons will make this feasible. Just as the STS database and the newly developed European Cardiac Surgical Registry² have given valuable information regarding statistics and trends, so too, a broader based international cardiac surgery database can give a global perspective on regional trends and growth. The European initiative has already been described in Unger's report.³ Between 900,000 and one million open-heart operations are carried out annually worldwide. There are over 6000 cardiac surgeons in 1500 to 2000 centers performing these operations. These numbers are estimates as exact numbers are lacking. Hopefully, a comprehensive database will give us precise information.

An international access to the Internet, along with international statistics, strengthens the bonds that will hold the global cardiac surgery community together. From this, a variety of strategies can emerge. The developed and advanced programs can show where there is need, whereas emerging or undeveloped programs can reach for sources of help and guidance. Practical advances are already taking effect. The ad hoc committee on international relations of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has recently agreed to establish an international information site on the CTSNet. This will enable the leadership to access information of global concern. Details of scientific meetings are already obtainable and information regarding available fellowships, grants, and regional developments are other areas of interest. The concern of American cardiac surgeons in international activity was highlighted in the response of over 150 surgeons to a recent survey by Children's Heart Link in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. The responses ranged from former activities to present projects and those deserving future involvement. These activities included academic affiliations, augmenting existing programs, and participating in solo or group efforts to develop programs in those countries ready to embark on open-heart surgery.

The challenge of organizing the international community of cardiac surgeons is attainable. The Internet and World Wide Web is the beginning. Hopefully others will comment.

REFERENCES

1. Replogle RL. Globalization [editorial]. Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann 1997;5:191–2.

2. European Cardiac Surgical Registry, Dept. of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hammersmith Hospital, London W12 OHS, UK.

3. Unger F. European survey on cardiac interventions – open heart surgery, PTLA, cardiac catheterization. Ann Eur Acad Sci Art 1994;12:1–59.

This Article Extract 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 Author home page(s): A Thomas Pezzella Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Pezzella, A T. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Pezzella, A T.