About RHICS

To honor the mentorship, leadership and contributions of Prof. Dr. Roland Hetzer in the field of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, the Roland Hetzer International Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Society (RHICS) was founded by cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons who have trained and worked under Prof. Hetzer, including former students, present staff and colleagues from all over the world.

„ Keep it simple, make it last!!!“

This is an idiom which I used in connection with mitral valve repair, one of my major areas of interest, which, however, can be applied to most surgical procedures, marking that too complicated techniques or too sophisticated implants may catalyze suspicion about a reliable functionality which can only be judged by long-term observations.

The fields where this principle was proven right were such operative developments on tricuspid valve repair, Ebstein’s anomaly, active infective endocarditis and the use of homologous and/or autologous material and untreated pericardium in valve repair, consecutive partial aortic replacement of all segments and assist systems of both ventricles at any age and the potential of myocardial recovery by sufficiently long-term ventricular unloading.

Another important principle has become the rule to accept all patients, no matter how old or sick, where the origins are or what religious beliefs the patients have and to offer them the best possible treatment available, regardless of whether conservative, surgical or interventional.

This attitude proved to be a solid foundation of a gratifying, convincing and sympathetic medicine which eventually gained us worldwide recognition and acceptance.

Roland Hetzer, MD, PhD

Over

Members from around the world.

Asia

Africa

Australia

North America

Europe

South America

The history of RHICS

To honor the mentorship, leadership and contributions of Prof. Dr. Roland Hetzer in the field of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, the Roland Hetzer International Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Society (RHICS) was founded by cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons who have trained and worked under Prof. Hetzer, including former students, present staff and colleagues from all over the world.

The exclusive objectives of the RHICS are:

to provide a forum for expert discussion on relevant cardiothoracic issues, to set up guidelines based on conclusions derived from this expert opinion forum
to promote cardiothoracic surgical education skills from beyond standardized and statistical (experience-based) medicine to a patient-based medicine wherein treatment approaches are individualized and personalized, and specific high-quality treatment is tailored to the patients’ unique pathology so as to give them an optimal quality of life, after surgery
to promote continuing medical education through the holding of regular symposia and meetings and the continuance of clinical and experimental research efforts and the publication of the results in scientific journals, and
to foster international collaboration and cooperation in clinical practice and scientific research in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery and associated fields.

The RHICS thus hopes to continue the legacy of Prof. Hetzer.

After its conception (by Drs. Delmo Javier, Ennker and Loebe) on January 29, 2010 and tremendous concerted efforts by Drs. Gerhard Ziemer, Harald Hausmann, Michele Musci, Thomas Krabatsch, Charles Yankah, Ralf Sodian, Luc Tambeur, Hermann Kuppe and Boris Nasseri, the RHICS was legally founded on May 20, 2011 at 17:30, in the presence of its lawyer, Dr. Maren Bedau, and the Honorary President himself, Prof. Roland Hetzer.

The Constitution was signed by Drs. Ziemer, Ennker, Hausmann, Delmo Walter, Musci, Nasseri and Kuppe with distant attendance of M.Loebe (via teleconference from Houston, Texas, USA), which took place at the Deutsches Herzzentrum Library.

The RHICS Society was formally inaugurated on June 13, 2011 at the Hotel Intercontinental Berlin. It is now recognized by the German Tax Authorities as a non-profit, tax-exempted scientific organization.

Board of Directors 2020-2023

Prof. Dr. Matthias Loebe (USA)

President

PD Dr. Harald Hausmann (Germany)

1. Vice-President

Prof. Dr. Herbert Vetter (Germany)

2. Vice President

PD Dr. Eva Maria Javier Delmo (Germany)

Executive Secretary &
Managing Director

www.ctsnet.org

Advisory Board

Prof. Dr. Gustav Steinhoff (Germany)

Prof. Dr. Carlos Mestres (Switzerland)

Prof. Dr. Ottavio Alfieri (Italy)

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Ennker (Germany)

Prof. Dr. Jose Luis Pomar (Spain)

Dr. J. Scott Rankin (USA)

www.ennker.de