April 2007

Dear BACTS member,

It is with pleasure that we write you to keep you updated concerning ongoing activities in the society.
You will find enclosed the current overview of the Membership Directory. This Directory is continuously updated. Please check your personal data and inform us in case they need correction.
New candidate members are invited to send their application form to
Frank Van Praet,
Chairman Membership Committee BACTS,
Department of Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery,
OLV Ziekenhuis, Moorselbaan 164, 9300 Aalst.
Applicants should use the official BACTS form available online and included.
The deadline for receipt of new applications is fixed on September 1, 2007.

12th Congress on Cardio-Thoracic Surgery

The 12th annual congress of the BACTS will take place at the Sodehotel-Woluwe on Saturday November 17th, 2007.
Abstracts for this year’s Congress are already welcome.
The deadline for receipt of abstracts is fixed on August 1, 2007.
Abstract submission should be done through the website.

Abstract prize and travel grants

1. Prize for the best abstract presented at the BACTS meeting (1000 Euro)
Abstracts are anonymously scored by the members of the scientific committee. The prize is given to the abstract with the highest score (allocated before the meeting).
The prize (prior the support for attending the Bergamo school) is a 1000 Euro prize.

2. Travel grant (5000 Euro)
For Belgian cardiothoracic residents or young surgeons
To spend 2 months in prestigious centres for cardiothoracic surgery
(proposal by the candidate)
Application for such a travel grant should be addressed to the scientific committee (before September 2007). The application should consist of

• curriculum vitae
• a short letter explaining the goal of the training by the chairman of the department
• a short proposal concerning the intended centres to visit.

3. Funding of a fellow to attend the Bergamo school (appr. 900 Euro)
Application for this support should be addressed to the scientific committee. The application should consist of

• curriculum vitae of the candidate
• a short letter of the chairman of the department to support the application.

In case several application are made the scientific committee will give priority to the candidate with the better curriculum.
Note: The scientific committee is reached via the chairman:
Dr. A Poncelet.
Chairman scientific committee BACTS
Department Cardiothoracic Surgery.
Avenue Hypocrate 10,
Brussels 1200.

Bylaws

Finally, our new bylaws are published after approval on the special General Assembly in December 2006. Please take a look at the website www.bacts.org/sections/bylaws/index.html
The Board is currently working on the “internal rules and regulations”.

Specific competence in Cardiac Surgery

The Belgian Surgical Commission of Recognition (Dutch and French speaking), the Belgian Professional Surgical Association, the Royal Belgian Surgical Society and the BACTS agreed to create a certificate, on proposition by the BACTS, to be signed by these 4 parties. This certificate of specific competence in cardiac surgery will not be signed by the Minister (on advice by the High Council). However, it will recognise the specific competence of cardiac surgeons as can be required by foreign or internal stake holders.
The Accreditation Committee prepares guidelines for current and future Cardiac Surgeons in order to hand over the first certificates of recognition. The Accreditation Committee is extended with cardiac surgeons to perform all this administrative work. Please visit our website (http://www.bacts.org/committee/eacts/175) in the near future to prepare the necessary documents for your accreditation.

Database Committee

The new Database Committee has done a marvellous job and finalised the reports of 2003 and 2004. Centre data were mailed to the head of the Departments. Members can download these reports. The DBC is currently working on the report of 2005. Please send your data concerning the year 2006 as soon as possible.

You can find attached as well an updated list of accreditation numbers of scientific meetings.

On behalf of the Board of Directors 2004-2007