Editorial - December 2020

Dear Members,

We hope you all are keeping well. With the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, deferred treatment of patients may be required in certain scenarios. Our first recommended reading, “Adult cardiac surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: A tiered patient triage guidance statement”,
provides a tiered patient triage system that can be helpful to deal with reduced capacities during the next months.

Another important topic is the question when to operate on patients with active infective endocarditis who have already had a neurologic event due to the underlying disease process. Bonaros N et al, reviewed the current literature in the latest European Heart Journal Supplements on that topic.

The last recommended reading compares subclavian/axillary and transcarotid access in patients undergoing TAVR with the SAPIEN 3 valve. The study included 3903 cases form the STS/ACC Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry.

We are also happy to present you a new expert consensus document on the use of thoracic endovascular aortic repair in acute and chronic thoracic aortic disease that was prepared by members of our working group in collaboration with the ESC Working Group on Aorta and Peripheral Vascular Diseases, the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) of the ESC and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS)

Let us take the opportuntiy to wish you all a peaceful pre-Christmas time, a Merry Christmas and a trustful start into 2021 where we do truly hope to come together in person again,

Kindest,

On behalf of the Working Group nucleus,

Martin Czerny, Chairperson 2020-2022,Roman Gottardi, Communication Coordinator 2020-2022