The Western Aortic Collaborative: Multi-institutional Aortic Surgery, Education, and Research

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Medical Education
• Clinical Research

Background:

• The Western Aortic Collaborative (WAC) is a new academic model for thoracic aortic surgery.
• It aims to advance surgical techniques, surgeon education, and multi-institutional clinical research.
• The WAC employs a hybrid model combining in-person meetings and videoconferencing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a collaborative network for aortic surgeons in the Western region.
• To promote the cross-pollination of ideas and experiences among surgeons.
• To address knowledge gaps in aortic surgery through multi-institutional research.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a horizontal organizational structure to encourage idea sharing.
• Identifying key research areas in aortic surgery with significant knowledge gaps.
• Developing a novel, cloud-based database linked to the Society for Thoracic Surgeon database.
• Leveraging institutional practice differences for a natural experiment design.

Main Results:

• Successfully created a regional community of aortic surgeons in its inaugural year.
• Established five high-priority research topics from the aortic root to the left subclavian artery.
• Implemented a novel, cloud-based database for multi-institutional research.

Conclusions:

• The WAC effectively utilizes technology and collaborative meetings to achieve its research and educational goals.
• The hybrid model fosters a regional community dedicated to advancing aortic surgery.
• The established database infrastructure supports subspecialized research and data linkage.