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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2004;26:465-468
© 2004 Elsevier Science NL

ESTS Presidential address

Future directions of thoracic surgery in Europe (directions of ESTS and EACTS)

‘From paradise to nowhere and back’

Regional Hospital for Lung Diseases, Sokolowskiego str 11, Szczecin-Zdunowo, PL 70-891, Poland

^* Tel.: +48-91-462-2070x272; fax: +48-91-462-0494
e-mail: grodzki@grodzki.szczecin.pl

The first 300 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Mr Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

It is my great honour to present this lecture on the future of thoracic surgery in Europe to such a distinguished Society. As many of you know, I come from Szczecin, Poland, from quite a large center of thoracic surgery—not the largest nor the most famous one. I think my position as President of this Society proves very well that ESTS offers excellent possibilities for any thoracic surgeon for whom the future of our specialty is precious. ESTS represents highly ranked academic surgeons and pure clinicians, surgeons working in large units and surgeons from small hospitals, surgeons from west, east, north and south.

Thoracic surgery is the oldest of medical specialties. It started in the garden of Eden. Just look at Orvieto's sculpture in Italy of God performing a rib resection. Anaesthetists might claim that someone had to give anesthesia, but I think it was done by one almighty person. Eons later, almost 100 years ago, Ferdinand Sauerbruch from Wrocaw invented his chamber allowing safe open thoracic surgery. It was an uncertain start to the history of our specialty but definitely we can name it as one of the milestones.

Rapid development of thoracic surgery in the 20th century resulted in a very fruitful period of many (sometimes very important) publications and congresses. But surprisingly, unlike our American colleagues, professional societies at a European level were established relatively late (European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery in 1986, European Society of Thoracic Surgeons in 1993). From this particular point of view, which concerns scientific societies of European level we had lived on a desert. In the early years of the EACTS cardiac surgery was the predominant specialty represented, with an underrepresentation of thoracic surgery, resulting in a rebellion by thoracic surgeons—the formation of ESTS. . . . [Full Text of this Article]