Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship
Providing care with heart in the Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship
The Cardiothoracic Surgery (CTS) track is an intense and highly focused education and training program that provides ACP’s the advanced knowledge and technical skills necessary to become outstanding clinicians in the dynamic and challenging field of Cardiothoracic Surgery. CTS ACP’s traditionally have intensive care unit and operating room training that allows them to function across all aspects of the service. This will be the focus of our one-year program.
Eight months will be dedicated to the ICU where ACP’s will learn the fundamental knowledge needed to manage preoperative and postoperative CTS patients. Training will occur in a structured and mentored environment alongside multi-disciplinary teams of professionals. ACP’s will be involved in all phases of patient care and management from admission to discharge, as well as subsequent at home follow-up. Listed below are some examples of the topics and technical skills that will be mastered during ICU training.
- Hemodynamic Monitoring
- Ventilator Management
- Acid/Base Management
- Management of Arrhythmias
- Heart Failure
- Respiratory Failure
- Acute Kidney Injury
- Postoperative Complications
- ICU Pharmacology
- Pain Management
- SIRS/Sepsis
- ECMO, IABP
- Central line placement (Internal jugular, subclavian, femoral)
- Arterial line placement
- Chest tube/pigtail placement
- Intra aortic balloon placement (IABP)
The remaining 4 months is reserved for operating skills. Here the main focus will be First Assistant training for all types of cardiac and thoracic surgical cases. Mediastinal and thoracic anatomy will be reviewed as well as the fundamental concepts of cardio-pulmonary bypass. There will be ample opportunity to continue placement of central lines, arterial lines, foley catheters and endotracheal tubes. Suturing skills and proper knot tying skills will also be taught and mastered.
Didactics:
Formal education will take place throughout the program year. One day a week will be reserved for traditional lectures, case studies, ACP presentations, diagnostic test interpretations and clinical scenarios. These didactics are designed to build a solid acumen of medical knowledge and enhance critical thinking skills. In addition, one day each month, all ACP Fellows from the various tracks will reconvene for a core series of learning activities specially designed to augment their on-site training.
