OPCAB Extended Fellowship in partnership with Medtronic
Summary
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Application dates:
1st March – 1st May 2025
- Grant:
€6,000
- Location:
San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d’Aragona Hospital, Salerno, Italy
- Duration:
1.5 months
- Start Date:
From January 2026
Fellowship Overview
Working under the tutorship of experienced and high OPCABG-volume surgeons in a high-volume centre (around 300 OPCABG procedures per year), this Fellowship provides the successful candidate with the foundational knowledge of the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease, the rationale for its surgical treatment and for total artery revascularization, the proper conduit selection for the right lesion, the peri-operative management and first-hand experience in OPCABG. As a result of this training, Fellows may set up their own OPCABG programmes in their own centres.
The successful Fellow will join the daily activity of the centre, taking part in the treatment decision-making process, to the perioperative and post-operative management of OPCABG patients. A full theoretical and practical OPCABG overview will be provided, alongside the opportunity to train on the OPCABG simulators.
Learning Objectives
- Total arterial revascularization rationale
- Aorta no-touch rationale
- OPCABG setting and first-hand training
- Anesthesiologic management in OPCABG patients
Specific Learning Objectives
- Target vessel selection
- Graft vessel selection
- Composite arterial graft creation
- Distal anastomosis
- Peri-operative care and anesthesiologic management
- Intensive care management of OPCABG patients
Syllabus
- Coronary angiography imaging and target vessel selection (high level of competence)
- Graft vessel and composite graft selection based on type of target lesion (high level of competence)
- Distal anastomosis creation training on a simulator and on real (medium level of competence)
- Anesthesiologic peri-operative care management (high level of competence)
- Intensive care management of OPCABG patients (high level of competence)
Funding
We offer a bursary of €6,000 to help with the associated living and travel costs of this Fellowship. EACTS will also provide a bursary towards the cost of your attendance at the EACTS Annual Meeting
Application and Selection
In order to apply for this fellowship there are some essential criteria you must meet:
- Be an EACTS member
- Have a partnership with Anesthesiologists and Cardiologist at own centre
- Have hospital resource support: Up-to-date coronary artery imaging tools
- First five years of independent practice
- Be fluent in English
Applicants who possess the following desirable criteria would be of particular interest:
- Ability to set up an OPCAB program in his/her institution
- High-volume surgeon (>40 CABG cases/year)
- Currently working at high-volume centres (>100 CABG cases per year)
In order to complete your application, you must submit the following documents*:
- CV
- Operative experience
- Letter of interest detailing the way in which you meet the above application criteria, along with your career aspirations, as well as how you believe the Fellowship will impact your career.
- Letter of support from current Head of Department/Training Director if in last year of training
*Please ensure that all documents submitted are written in English, and that they are submitted either as word documents or PDF. We do not accept images or handwritten applications. We are unable to provide advice or guidance about visa applications, so please ensure that you understand the visa requirements before applying for this Fellowship.
Evaluation and Feedback
At the end of the Fellowship, the Fellows will produce a full report on their experience based on the Francis Fontan Fund Committee guidelines.
Terms and Conditions
- You cannot apply for more than one fellowship in a single year.
- You cannot apply for a fellowship if you have been awarded one in the last two years.
- If you do not submit all requested documents your application will not be reviewed.
- If you do not follow the application guidelines (document format, essential criteria etc) your application will not be reviewed.
- If you submit any false information your application will be immediately void (regardless of application stage).
- Once your fellowship start date is confirmed, 80% of the fellowship grant will be transferred to you.
- On completion of the fellowship and receipt of your final report, the remaining 20% of the fellowship grant will be transferred to you.
- Should your fellowship include third party fees, EACTS will pay this directly from your initial 80% grant payment, with the remaining balance being transferred to you.
- If for any reason you find you are unable to complete or attend training, you should notify EACTS at your earliest convenience. If the grant payment has already been made, you will be asked to repay the monies received based on incurred costs to date. Proof of expenses will be required.
The Francis Fontan Fellowship programme fosters the continued growth and development of cardiothoracic surgeons by providing opportunities to learn from the highest standards of cardiothoracic care and gain knowledge of novel techniques and innovative technologies used by other institutes around the world. Successful applicants will use the valuable learnings and collaborative relationships developed through their Fellowship to further the progress of cardiothoracic surgery at their home institution and support the delivery of the highest quality patient care.
- The fellowship needs to be completed within the year that it was awarded.
- Awardees need to be in full time employment throughout the fellowship.
NB. The Francis Fontan Fund Committee will consider any fellow who falls outside of this condition on a case-by-case basis. All decisions are final, and the Committee are not obliged to share the reasoning behind any decision made.
- Grant: