Hands across mountains: a view from Asia.

The recent inauguration of the new European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) House in Windsor, UK by the EACTS has provided an opportunity to set the stage for a discussion about the future of the profession. As most of the leaders of this organization had trained, worked, researched, lived and/or taught on several continents throughout their career, it was clear from the very beginning, that a global view should be taken, bringing in the expertise and views from other continents. The goal of this contribution is to outline some of the challenges and opportunities in Asia.