Outcome of a dedicated complex aortic surgery fellowship program

Luis H Arzola ¹, Giuseppe Asciutto ¹, Maysam Shehab ¹

⁰Department of Surgical Sciences, Section of Vascular Surgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

Frontiers in Surgery +

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August 15, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This study evaluated a complex aortic fellowship program. The fellowship positively impacted fellows

Area Of Science

Vascular Surgery
Endovascular Therapy
Aortic Procedures

Background

Complex aortic procedures require advanced endovascular skills.
Post-certification training is essential for vascular surgeons.
Dedicated fellowships enhance expertise in complex aortic interventions.

Purpose Of The Study

To evaluate the outcomes of a complex aortic fellowship program.
To assess the impact of specialized training on vascular surgeons' careers.
To gather feedback on the fellowship's clinical and academic components.

Main Methods

Anonymous survey distributed to nine former fellows (2018-2023).
Survey included demographic data, procedural information, and experience ratings (1-5).
Assessed fellowship impact on career progression and implementation of aortic programs.

Main Results

All fellows rated the fellowship quality as excellent.
Key valued aspects included mentorship, clinical experience, and academic environment.
55.6% of fellows contributed to establishing complex aortic programs post-fellowship.
77.8% reported a positive impact on their current practice.

Conclusions

A balanced clinical and scientific exposure in complex aortic disease is highly valued.
Fellowships enhance the development of complex aortic programs.
Expanding fellowship scope to multidisciplinary teams may offer added value.

Keywords:

aortic surgery endovascular fellowship research training