Cardiac Surgery

Course Director                     Ivan Crosby MD      

Attendings                               Irving Kron MD  

                                                   John Kern MD

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the cardiac surgery rotation all medical students should be able to:

  1. Describe basic cardiovascular physiology including volume management and the management of congestive heart failure.
  2. Discuss the management of the pleural space with "pig tails," thoracentesis, and chest tubes.
  3. Describe methods of anti-coagulation.
  4. Discuss.cardiac electrophysiology including the rudimentary aspects of pacemaker management, arrhythmia control, and arrhythmic pharmacology.
  5. Describe the basic management of ventilation and oxygenation in thoracic patients, including the management of supplemental oxygen, nasal CPAP, incentive spirometry, and respiratory therapy.
  6. Describe the management steps during a cardiac arrest and near arrest.
  7. Describe the basis of thoracic imaging, including CT scans of the chest and vasculature as well as the interpretation of chest x-rays.
  8. Discuss the medical management of acute coronary ischemia and acute valvular heart disease.
  9. Discuss the basics of the management of acute aortic emergencies.

After rotating in the TCV Post Operative Unit medical students should be able to:

  1. Describe the use of intra-aortic balloon pumps as well as other cardiac assist devices including ventricular assist devices, ECMO, and right ventricular assist devices.
  2. Describe the management of cardiac arrest and near arrest with both closed techniques, pharmacological techniques, and open cardiac massage and resuscitation.
  3. Describe the use of advanced measures to deal with problems of the pleural space including every form of thoracic drainage.
  4. Describe the management of acute respiratory insufficiency including acute pulmonary disease, management of the airway, and bronchoscopy both for diagnosis and therapy.

Responsibilities

Medical students should participate in all clinical patient and educational activities, both inpatient and outpatient while on this rotation.

You should be completely prepared for every OR case prior to scrubbing in. This means that you have reviewed the patient's history and know the results of all laboratory, radiology and pathology studies. In addition you will be expected to read about the patient's disease process, the treatment options, and the details of the proposed surgery, including all relevant anatomy and the surgical techniques involved.