Last December 14 and 15, 2007, at the Gran Hotel Bahia del Duque, there was a Meeting of the Aorta Work Group, of the Spanish Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, organized by the Hospiten Group.

On this occasion, the Spanish Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery invited Dr Rafael Llorens, Head of the Cardiac Surgery Department at Hospiten Rambla, and Professor Dr Manuel Maynar, Head of the Hospiten Endoluminal/Endovascular Diagnostics and Therapeutics Service, to set up and lead the meeting on "Hybrid Treatment of the Aorta".

Hybrid Treatment of the Aorta consists of combining characteristics of traditional Open Surgery with Endovascular Techniques, i.e. minimally invasive (through minimal incisions). Through the blending of these techniques, the aim is to find solutions to various pathologies like traumas, dissections or aortal aneurysm. One of the greatest benefits of the technique is the reduction in the time needed for the operation and for the post-operatory period, as well as the time needed for total recovery and adaptation to a normal daily routine, with all that implies in economic terms for the patient and for his/her quality of life.

On this occasion, the meeting was attended by both national and international expert guest speakers, amongst whom were Dr Jose Maria Calbet, Head of the Aorta Work Group of the Spanish Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery; Dr Markus Kamler from the University Clinic of Essen in Germany; Dr Pedro Serrano, Head of the Canary Health Service Evaluation Service; Drs Carlos Ferro and Luigi Martinelli from the San Martino Hospital in Genoa, Italy.

The conclusions of the report requested by the Ministry for Health and Consumer Affairs and carried out by the Canary Health Service Evaluation Service on the effectiveness and safety of endovascular procedures, open surgery and combined (hybrid) surgery in thoracic aortal disease were presented.

In addition, during the two-day conference and apart from technical sessions, talks and presentations, there were workshops in which both the speakers and the attendees could do practical exercises with Endovascular Surgery simulators. The training simulators were presented by Dr Miguel Angel Rodriguez Florido, Doctor in Telecommunication Technology, of the Technological Institute of the Canary Islands, as part of the collaboration between the TIC and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in this area.

The HOSPITEN Group is an international hospital network committed to providing top quality healthcare services. With almost 40 years' experience, the HOSPITEN Group has twelve private hospitals in Spain, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, attends over 500,000 patients from all over the world a year and employs more than 3,000 people.

Venue: Hotel Bahía del Duque, Adeje, Tenerife
Date: 14-15 december 2007

Inscription and accomodation:
ULTRAMAR EXPRESS Event Management
Tel: +34 922 38 51 92
Fax: +34 922 37 04 38
E-mail: epriedemann@es.tui.com

Information:
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
HOSPITEN Rambla
Tel: +34 922 29 16 00
Fax: +34 922 29 10 88
E-mail: formacion@hospiten.com