Swiss Society

The Swiss Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (SGHC) plans its future together with the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (DGTHG). The society, due to the economization of medicine, is gaining more meaning in the political discussion with regard to assignments, concentration, and rationing. It needs to take a position in the decision making without any selfish interest and must be able to give an objective assessment, especially important in the field of medicine, by representing the interest of the patient in particular.

Because of its small size, the SGHC can only overcome new challenges (including those of a highly specialized medicine) in an efficient manner with a strong partner across the border. And we are facing various challenges: introduction of new techniques, integration, and developments together with cardiology, in research and in the training arena, for example, advancing and promoting young fellows and their education.

In a small country like Switzerland, there are, of course, limitations. The small number of cases results in a limited training possibility, and these factors lead us to seek for partners. We are now happy to hold our yearly conference with the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and that our young fellow surgeons can train together, and we are also happy that we come tougher as a team with “The Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon.”

How can we as cardiac surgeons take part in the political discussion about highly specialized medicine? Quality! No other congregation performs documentation like ours. For many years, surgeons have documented quality parameters and applied risk stratifications of their patients. Now they possess databases covering the results of their performance. The STS-Databases as well as the EACTS Adult Cardiac Surgical Databases are the result of our strife to evaluate our performance in an objective manner. In 2012, the SGHC did succeed to develop a national register to discuss this highly specialized medicine with facts. For the future, we plan to audit the data quality and do our own quality management. By following the WHO program “Safe Surgery Saves Lives” (http://www.who.int/patientsafety/safesurgery/en/), the SGHC is committed to the quality process.

It is an important landmark that the cardiac surgical community is now connected across the borders. With this we are on the right way. Where it will take us in the future remains to be seen, but we are setting the direction and follow the consequences of our goals. I am sure these plans will take us on a successful pathway together. I am glad to plan the future with my Swiss colleagues and the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. The future is demanding, but together we have many possibilities to have a positive impact on it.