Program Overview

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Introduction to the Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship

The Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina provides a comprehensive academic and clinical experience, training two expertly trained cardiothoracic anesthesiologists each year.

Program Overview

The Fellowship maintains the highest academic and clinical standards, having been accredited by the ACGME since 2007 without any citations. The program's goal is to train excellent, compassionate cardiothoracic anesthesiologists who will become the next generation of leaders in the field.

Clinical Experience

The clinical experience includes:

• Cardiac cases with a wide spectrum of complex disease states and advanced surgical and catheter-based therapies, such as:
  • Surgical Aortic valve replacement
  • Complex aortic arch replacement
  • Mitral valve repair and replacement
  • Heart transplantation
  • Ventricular Assist Devices
  • Transcatheter aortic valve replacement
  • Mitra-clip
  • Left atrial closure devices
  • Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
  • ECMO cannulation and management
• Collaboration with the team at Hollings Cancer Center for outstanding care in thoracic surgery, including:
  • Lung transplantation
  • Minimally invasive lung resections
• Rotation with the congenital heart disease program to gain knowledge in caring for patients with congenital heart disease
• Learning to interrogate and reprogram pacemakers and ICDs in the perioperative period

TEE Training

The program offers comprehensive TEE training, including:

• Direct training with faculty on Intraoperative Transesophageal Echocardiography
• State-of-the-art imaging platforms with 3D TEE and TTE
• Separate TEE rotation with no other clinical responsibilities
• Opportunity for further elective study in transthoracic echocardiography
• Echocardiography review sessions with expert faculty
• TEE database for research questions
• 100 percent pass rate on the National Board of Echocardiography Advanced Perioperative TEE exam

Faculty

The faculty values fellows as colleagues and works directly with them to provide experience in becoming world-class cardiothoracic anesthesiologists. Faculty members are:

• Board certified in advanced perioperative TEE
• Involved in clinical research
• Leaders in quality and safety at the SCA
• Leaders in the Intraoperative Counsel at the Society of Echocardiography

Educational Program

The educational program is designed for the advanced trainee and includes:

• Structured, online modules with video lectures and sentinel journal articles
• Weekly fellow education conferences
• Echocardiography review sessions
• Monthly cardiac surgery, cardiology, and cardiac anesthesiology M&M
• Weekly departmental grand rounds

Research Opportunities

Fellows are encouraged and expected to participate in an academic project during their fellowship, with provided time, resources, and mentorship.

Electives

The program allows for flexibility and individualization, with two months dedicated to electives in areas such as perfusion technology, perioperative cardiology, and critical care.

Moonlighting

Moonlighting opportunities exist for those with a permanent South Carolina license and good academic standing, both externally and internally.

Application Process

Applications are accepted through the SF Match program, with the SF Match common application satisfying program requirements. No supplemental documents are needed.