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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2001;19:2
© 2001 Elsevier Science NL

Editorial

Innovate, evaluate, communicate!

The story of the European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery is a success story. Today, the Journal is certainly the leading scientific publication in cardio-thoracic surgery throughout Europe and its actual growth is very strong. The outgoing editor, Marko Turina, the founding editor, Hans Borst, their respective teams, as well as the authors and readers, which form all together the scientific community carrying the Journal, deserve to be congratulated for this achievement.

The incoming editor, has to analyze the past and present situation of the Journal in order to define its future strategy. The latter is of prime importance not only for the Journal as such but also for the evolution of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery and even more so for the development of our specialities in Europe and beyond. As a matter of fact, there seems to be significant turmoil coming up on the horizon. Major issues include the introduction of alternative treatment strategies which compete with our standard of care, cost and billing of the procedures provided by our specialities, adequate financing for health care as a whole, and proper funding for research in our fields of interest.

However, it is no secret that, for various reasons, the so-called present standard of care can not remain as such in the long term future. As a matter of fact, many of the procedures we perform today are far from perfect, and therefore it is quite normal that they are continuously challenged by upcoming alternative treatment modalities. In addition, history teaches us for the long term view, that some approaches which appeared perfectly sound at a given time, look much less so if they are less novel, have lost their scientific evidence, or even if the way they are perceived has changed.

The Journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery is a corner stone for the future development of our surgical specialities. The Journal with its printed and electronic formats, provides not only a platform for the communication of new or different ideas, but also the absolutely necessary forum for discussion of their specific value which by definition do and have to change over time. It's the constant interaction of our readers with our authors that is driving our specialities proactively in their future. Further enhancement of this momentum by recruiting gifted young talents, adequate coaching, and constant search for excellence are, as I see it, the most promising strategic keys.

Innovate, evaluate, communicate!

Ludwig K. von Segesser, MD, FETCS

This Article 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 Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content