The Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesia Fellowship at the University of Iowa is a one-year ACGME-accredited program. Nine months of the fellowship year is dedicated to clinical anesthesia for cardiac and thoracic surgery, and one month is focused on post-operative intensive care of adult cardiac and thoracic patients in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. Our mission is to develop leaders in the adult cardiothoracic anesthesia community, and we are excited to be at the forefront of training these essential specialists.
University of Iowa Health Care on Universit Campus is a Level 1 Trauma Center, a Comprehensive Stroke Center of Excellence, a Certified Destination Ventricular Assist Device Center, and an ECMO Center of Excellence.
Every year, the Cardiothoracic Anesthesia Division handles an average of 450 thoracic cases, 500 adult cardiac cases, 40 heart/lung transplant cases, as well as many cases with the Interventional Cardiology Structural Heart Program.
Mission Statement
The mission of our fellowship program is to prepare graduate anesthesiologists for a lifelong career in cardiothoracic anesthesia through innovation, collaboration, education, research and clinical services.
Program Aims
1. To train anesthesiologists who are experts in all aspects of cardiothoracic anesthesia with skills to diagnose, monitor, and manage patients with all types of cardiopulmonary disease. Additionally, fellows will develop teaching and supervisory skills, as well as scholarship skills necessary for lifelong learning. Graduates will be prepared to enter the private or academic practice of their choice with special skills and knowledge in cardiothoracic anesthesia.
2. The second aim is to anticipate and prepare fellows for future changes in clinical practice: a) the trend toward less invasive, catheter-based therapy (i.e. angioplasty and coronary stents, TAVR and MitraClip procedures, endovascular stenting); b) the trend toward mechanical cardiopulmonary support devices (i.e. LVAD, RVAD and ECMO.
Accreditation
The one-year Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesia fellowship has been accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) since 2012. We are proud to note that our graduates have a 100% pass rate for the Advanced Perioperative Transesophageal Echo exam.
Fellowship Details
Rotation Schedule:
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7 months in cardiac ORs
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1 month CVICU
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2 months Echo
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6 weeks Transition to Independent Practice
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2 weeks perfusion
Day to Day:
- Typical cardiothoracic day:
- 3-4 cardiothoracic ORs
- 1 Cath Lab (TAVR, Mitra-Clip, Watchman)
- 1 non-clinical day per week
- Q3 home call (on average)
- “Golden weekend” every 3rd week
- Generally can choose your cases for the following day
- Opportunity to perform TEE in other cases on any given day
- Time off to attend SCA and SCA Echo Week
Dual Fellowship Training:
We offer 2-year dual fellowship training in Adult Cardiac Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine. Please navigate to "How to Apply" page for more information. Here is a link to our CCM fellowship webpage.
Research Opportunities
Clinical research opportunities are available in cardiac and thoracic anesthesia.
Contact Dr. Andrew Feider for more information at andrew-feider@uiowa.edu