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Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship

The ACGME-accredited Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology (ACTA) Fellowship program was first offered at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in July 2019. Our fellowship is a one-year clinical training program that offers 1 position per year through the SF match.

University of Mississippi Medical center is the only tertiary care referral center for complex cardiothoracic surgery, management of congenital heart disease, Liver transplantation and Level 1 trauma in the state of Mississippi that serves a varied and complex patient population.

The Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology fellow is exposed to a wide array of cardiac cases, including on-and off-pump coronary revascularization, valve repair and replacement, temporary and durable ventricular assist device placement, major aortic reconstruction utilizing circulatory arrest techniques, heart transplantation as well as operations for adult congenital heart disease and obstetric patients with complex cardiac pathologies. Our interventional cardiology program is very active with percutaneous procedures for structural heart disease including TAVR, TMVR, Mitral Transcatheter Edge-To-Edge Repair, LA Appendage Exclusion. We have a robust electrophysiology program that performs numerous ablations, implantation of pacemakers, ICDs, and biventricular systems, and complex lead extractions every year.

Our fellowship training is focused primarily on clinical responsibilities that maximize educational benefits. The fellow is assigned complex adult cardiac cases, with a good distribution between providing resident supervision and being the primary provider for the case. The fellow also gains proficiency in Regional Anesthetic techniques for Cardiac surgery with various chest wall blocks for cardiac surgical patients. Additionally, the fellow spends 2 months of his/her clinical rotation at a nearby private hospital, training in minimally invasive cardiac procedures including robotic cardiac surgery, providing a window into “private practice” cardiac anesthesiology.

The fellow also learns comprehensive image acquisition and interpretation of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), in both 2-D and 3-D modes. Every fellow is assigned a dedicated Echo month to further hone their TTE and TEE skills. They use their expertise in TEE to guide interventions in the operating room and catheterization laboratory. The clinical and hands-on TEE experience and training provided will prepare the fellow to take the Advanced PTEeXAM and meet the requirements for certification.

All of our past graduates have successfully passed the Advanced PTEeXAM.

Our comprehensive lecture series conducted throughout the year for the fellow reinforces the knowledge gained through clinical experience in the operating room. Additionally, the fellow actively participants in the resident educational program, multi-institutional Echo conferences, weekly Anesthesiology departmental Grand rounds, Journal club, monthly Cardiac and non-cardiac M&M conferences allowing them to greatly enhance their own knowledge base, as well as hone their teaching skills. Participation in quality improvement projects and presentations at National conferences like SCA are incentivized through travel reimbursement by the department.

The section of cardiac anesthesiology is composed of faculty members, all certified in advanced perioperative transesophageal echocardiography, each of whom devotes most of their clinical time caring for patients undergoing cardiac, major vascular, thoracic, and interventional cardiology procedures.

Upon completion of their training, our fellows emerge as proficient cardiothoracic anesthesiologists ready to excel in both academic and private practice settings.

Should you match at UMMC Anesthesiology for your ACTA fellowship, you will reap the rewards of warm weather, southern hospitality, and a low cost of living, all while fostering a solid foundation in the field of cardiothoracic anesthesiology. The option to moonlight on the weekends during your fellowship offers additional potential for income during your training.

Rotations

• Cardiac - 5 months
• Thoracic - 2 months
• TEE/TTE - 1 month
• Cardiothoracic ICU - 1 month
• Pediatric Cardiac - 1 month
• Elective* - 2 months

*Electives: TTE, extracorporeal perfusion, cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac ICU, pediatric cardiac anesthesiology