Program characteristics of cardiothoracic surgery departments versus divisions

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Lisa M Soler1,2, Raymond A Lopez3, Kyle J Hornbuckle3

  • 1Department of Surgery, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1808 7th Ave South, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA. lisasoler@uabmc.edu.

Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery
|July 8, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Top cardiothoracic surgery programs in the U.S. are similarly organized and have comparable surgeon numbers. This group shows a higher percentage of female surgeons, particularly in general thoracic surgery.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiothoracic Surgery
  • Surgical Practice Management
  • Healthcare Organization

Background:

  • Organizational structures of cardiothoracic surgery practices vary across the United States.
  • Previous research has not detailed the characteristics of top-ranked programs and their surgeons.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the organizational characteristics of the top 50 ranked cardiothoracic surgery programs in the U.S.
  • To analyze the demographics and academic achievements of surgeons within these leading programs.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the U.S. News and World Report 2019-20 rankings to identify the top 50 hospitals for adult cardiology and heart surgery.
  • Collected data from hospital websites for 50 top-rated programs, analyzing organizational structure and surgeon demographics.
  • Statistical analysis performed using SAS 9.4, with significance set at p ≤ 0.05.

Main Results:

  • Of the top 50 programs, 21 were departments and 24 were divisions within a Department of Surgery.
  • The mean number of surgeons per program was 11, with no significant difference between departments and divisions.
  • Female cardiothoracic surgeons comprised 9% of the total, with general thoracic surgery showing higher inclusion in divisions (58%) versus departments (52%).
  • Physician scientists (Ph.D. holders) were present in 6% of department programs and 4% of division programs.

Conclusions:

  • Top U.S. cardiothoracic surgery programs exhibit similar organizational structures and surgeon numbers.
  • A higher percentage of female surgeons was observed compared to previous reports, with general thoracic surgery demonstrating increased gender diversity.
  • The representation of physician scientists within these leading programs was low but consistent across organizational structures.
Abstract

Keywords:
Cardiac surgeryCardiothoracic surgeryProgram organization

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