This society, founded in 1990 by the pioneers of cardiac surgery, aims to bring together cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons worldwide in a forum for the exchange of ideas and progress in clinical care and research. The annual meetings are held in various parts of the world, with the congress participants enjoying different realities and experiences.
The 26th meeting was held in Cape Town, South Africa (2016), and the 27th in Astana, Kazakhstan (2017). The 2018 meeting was held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the 2021 meeting was held in Sophia, Bulgaria, and the 2022 meeting was held from 15 to 18 September this year in St. Petersburg, Russia.
To host the 31st edition, Brazil was elected as the host country, and the city of Foz do Iguaçú was chosen. The city is known worldwide by the recognition of Iguassu Falls in 1986 by UNESCO as a Natural World Heritage Site and, in 2012, elected one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World.
This congress will bring together the world's leading cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons, interacting with a large group of Brazilian surgeons in a three-day immersion consisting of lectures by guests and world leaders in their fields and selected international presentations of scientific papers.
We will have four auditoriums, interconnected by the exhibition area, which will have a preponderant role and will update the participants on the main benefits of its products and services. The hands-on sessions will be presented as a landmark, as experts from other countries will present their techniques so that they can be applied in our centers, and we will be able to offer our patients the best and most up-to-date.
The Congress of the World Society of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery goes beyond the stage and intends to make a difference in the performance of those professionals who opt for this special meeting that will promote its significant update in 2023.
We remind you that with this event, we will have the first congress of Latin American surgeons, under the responsibility of LACES - Latin American Association of Cardiac and Endovascular Surgery, and Brazilian surgeons, with the return of the South Brazilian Congress of Cardiovascular Surgery.
We are waiting to welcome you, to this great meeting, with the well-known Brazilian hospitality.
It is an honor as President of LACES to invite you to the first annual meeting of our association. All of you will be witnessing a historical moment. A moment which every scientific society aims to achieve at some point of their existence. A moment in which all their members join together in their region to discuss scientific issues which affect typically their daily work. During the 3 intense days we are preparing for you, you will be able to gain knowledge and experience from fellow latin-american surgeons who face the typical limitations of our region. We intend for worldwide re-known leader of the field to deliver their insight regarding our everyday challenges.
The program for this meeting has been carefully crafted to represent current LATAM practice and be of use for either low and high volume cardiac surgery centers. It is our intention for each of you to acquire useful data to be applied in our usual practice. For such aim, our scientific committee will elaborate a program based on common clinical scenarios and technical complications.
History will be written in Iguazu Falls in 2023, you need to be a part of it.
