Heart Transplants

[aric_taylor2000]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Just a simple question, who does heart transplants? Do the cardiac surgeons do it, or is it a transplant surgeon?

And another quick question, can you specilize in more then one surgical specialty? For an example, say you want to be a cardiac surgeon, and a heart transplant surgeon, can you do that?

 

[Idiopathic]

Originally posted by aric_taylor2000
Just a simple question, who does heart transplants? Do the cardiac surgeons do it, or is it a transplant surgeon?

And another quick question, can you specilize in more then one surgical specialty? For an example, say you want to be a cardiac surgeon, and a heart transplant surgeon, can you do that?

I think I have this right. To be a transplant-er, you have to do:

5 years G-Surg
2-3 years Cardio-Thoracic
2-3 years Transplant.

The dude on Resident Life who is the main transplant resident is in year 10.

So, to answer the second part, you have to be a CT surgeon to do transplants, and you probably have to do both to make a practice work.

 

[Been there]

"I think I have this right. To be a transplant-er, you have to do:

5 years G-Surg
2-3 years Cardio-Thoracic
2-3 years Transplant.

....."

Close, but not right.


G-surg is 5-8 years (2-3 years of research)
CT fellowship/residency is 2-3 years
no transplant fellowships needed, if you are trained in the US.



Most heart transplant surgeons also perform general cardiothoracic surgeries.

 

[mpp]

I think many cardiac transplant surgeons do a fellowship in transplant...and if it were me getting a transplant, I certainly would not get one from someone that is not specifically trained in cardiac transplant surgery.

 

[Been there]

Most US cardiac transplant surgeons do not go for additional fellowship in transplant. There are very few cardiac transplant fellowship, and they are usually for FMG who wish to bring cardiac transplant back to their country.

Cardiac transplant surgeons in the States tend to be trained at major academic centers that have a cardiac transplant training as part of their CT fellowships.

Even the director of cardiac transplant at Univ of Minn, she did not do a transplant fellowship.

 

[mpp]

All the transplant surgeons and Mayo have...

 

[scutking]

A transplant fellowship entails liver, kidney, and pancreas. To do heart and lung transplants, you train as a cardiothoracic surgeon in an academic institution with a high volume heart/lung transplant program. You do NOT routinely do a transplant fellowship, I promise.

 

[aric_taylor2000]

ok, could someone tell me what I would have to do to be entitled to do Pediactric Cardiac surgury, and pediactric cardic heart transplants. The heart is something I enjoy, and I also like working with kids, so could you please reply with the nessesary fellowships I would have to take (and in order please) to do both those.

 

[Eidolon6]

Cardiac transplant is not that technically demanding for a trained CT surgeon and most surgeons performing these do not have extra training on top of their 2-3 year fellowship if they come from programs that support an adequate volume of transplants. Post operative management is the greater challenge that is usually multidisciplinary with the input from transplant cardiologists and pharmacists. I am not aware of training requirements for pediatric transplant surgery but one could extrapolate that the technical challenges are greater as the scale of the procedure is much reduced.

 

[Idiopathic]

Originally posted by aric_taylor2000
ok, could someone tell me what I would have to do to be entitled to do Pediactric Cardiac surgury, and pediactric cardic heart transplants. The heart is something I enjoy, and I also like working with kids, so could you please reply with the nessesary fellowships I would have to take (and in order please) to do both those.

Now this I have some more knowledge of. Ideally, you do 5 years G-surg, followed by about 5-10 years of Pediatric/CT/transplant felloship. Read "Walk on Water" about Roger Mee, and you will learn about guys in the 13th year of residency, etc.

 

[Been there]

Originally posted by Idiopathic
Now this I have some more knowledge of. Ideally, you do 5 years G-surg, followed by about 5-10 years of Pediatric/CT/transplant felloship. Read "Walk on Water" about Roger Mee, and you will learn about guys in the 13th year of residency, etc.

Sorry man, That is not correct. The reason Dr Mee's training took 13 yrs is because he was trained in europe (notice his degree is actually MB, and not MD).

In the US, the route to ped CT including transplant is G-surg residency, CT residency , and Ped CT residency (some say this is optional). Ped CT-surg is usually 1-2 years.

No US trained Ped-CT surgeon actually do a Ped fellowship (at least not in the recent era)

 

[aric_taylor2000]

one more request, could you please number the steps in order to become a pediactric cardiac surgeon, and a pediactric heart transplant surgeon.

 

[mpp]

Perhaps it's jus a Mayo thing, but of the four cardiac surgeons that do transplant at Mayo Rochester, all completed a fellowship in cardiothoracic transplant.

 

[maxheadroom]

First, please note: "Pediatric" has only one "c", as "Surgery" has only one "u". If you're really serious about the field, you'll know how to spell it . . .

Peds CT Surg does not technically require a Peds CT fellowship, but if you want to do the really sexy stuff like Mee (who trained in New Zealand and Australia, not the UK), you do need the additional training.

1. Medschool
2. GenSurg (5-8 years)
3. CT Surg (2-3 years)
4. Peds CT (1-3 years)

Most CT surg programs today do enough transplant that you should be pretty facile without additional fellowship time. Likewise, any Peds CT fellowship will qualify you to do Peds Heart/Lung transplants.

A word to Aric . . .
Sure the heart is neat and kids are great, but those two variables don't necessarily mean you should be a Pedi CT surgeon.

 

[cardiosurg]

frank, the guy off resident's life took 10 years to complete internship, residency and fellowship. if you do ct surgery you have to do heart and lung transplant at vandy. he went to cleveland for an extra few months of training. it was 10 years total for his complete training.he is doing peds ct surgery.