Cardiac Surgery: Education
Residency in Cardiothoracic Surgery
A two year, accredited residency in cardiothoracic surgery is offered to applicants who have completed training in general surgery. Based at the Beth Israel Deaconess, the program includes rotation at the Children's Hospital and provides in-depth exposure to cardiac, esophageal, and pulmonary surgery.
About Cardiothoracic Surgery
With five full-time adult cardiac surgeons and three dedicated general thoracic surgeons, about 800 cardiac cases and about 600 major thoracic cases were performed over the past year. The varieties of operations include:
- Thoracoscopic
- Minimally invasive and "off-bypass" coronary revascularizations
- Aortic homografts
- Aortic root operations
- Other major aortic procedures
Teaching by an outstanding Harvard Medical School faculty, enables the resident to become proficient in the operative and perioperative care of patients, as well as becoming highly accomplished in technical skills.
Residency Program Director
The residency program is under the direction of Dr. Malcolm DeCamp who is the chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Director of the CT Residency Program.
You may address any correspondence to him or his residency coordinator, Janelle Antosia at:
185 Pilgrim Road, Deac 201
Boston, MA 02215
Phone: 617-632-8371
Fax: 617-632-8253
Email: mdecamp@bidmc.harvard.edu
Email: jantosi1@bidmc.harvard.edu
Two Year Program
Our program is a two year program consisting of:
- Six months of general thoracic surgery
- Six months of adult cardiac surgery
- Six months of pediatric cardiac surgery at Boston Children's Hospital
- Six months of adult cardiac surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
1. General Thoracic Surgery
The first six-month block of the first year is composed of General Thoracic Surgery.
- Student participates in the preoperative, operative and postoperative care of all patients on the Service.
- Residents attends the Thoracic Oncology Clinic every week during which time he or she sees patients evaluated in the multi-disciplinary outpatient clinic.
- Residents also participates in the Thoracic Surgery Conference during which time thoracic surgeons, thoracic oncologists, radiation therapists and pulmonologists discuss the patients seen earlier in the day.
2. Adult Cardiac Surgery
The second six-month block of the first year is composed of Adult Cardiac Surgery.
- Residents are exposed to:
- Coronary revascularization
- Valve repair and replacement
- Aortic surgery and repair of congenital defects seen in adult patients
- Repair of atrial septic defects
- Residents evaluate all patients, preoperatively, although at times briefly.
- Residents are involved in the operative care at an early stage, but only at a time when the attending surgeon feels comfortable in allowing the resident to perform an active role.
- The postoperative care is provided primarily by the resident. During this period of training, the resident occasionally does participate in postoperative evaluations, especially when patients present for nonroutine postoperative care.
3. Boston Children's Hospital
During the third six-month block, the resident is at the Boston Children's Hospital, where the resident is exposed to congenital cardiac surgery in infants, adolescents and young adult surgery. Pediatric cardiac surgery is an integral component of the specialty.
4. Adult Cardiac Surgery
During the fourth six-month block, the resident is again exposed to cardiac surgery.
- The resident may be the chief resident and will have primary oversight of all patients on the adult cardiac surgical service whether or not the resident participates in the operation.
- Residents evaluate postoperatively all patients on which he/she participates in the operative care, and at this point, is the operating surgeon on the vast majority of cases.
- Consult must be seen by the resident and the resident is expected to be involved in the decision-making process with respect to which operative procedures, if any, should be performed and the time of these procedures.
