Aortic surgery is an area of subspecialisation uncommonly encountered by the majority of cardiac surgeons. In most UK centres, it is difficult to train in aortic surgery for acute type A aortic dissection, due to both case complexity and low volume. Most senior cardiac surgical trainees will never perform such surgery and most recently appointed consultants will have had only limited exposure to such cases.
This course will provide a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience of aortic dissection scenarios including total aortic arch replacement, supervised by an expert faculty of both national and international repute. It is aimed at recently-appointed consultant cardiac surgeons or surgeons wishing to progress to perform aortic surgery, and senior trainees in cardiac surgery.
The course is limited to 15 places — 10 operator spots and 5 observer spots. Operator places will be allocated to senior trainees and recently appointed consultants. Observers will typically be earlier-stage surgical trainees. If an operator is unable to attend on the day, an observer will be offered the opportunity to step into the operator role. Observers will also be automatically contacted for priority consideration for an operator place at next year’s course. To reflect the difference in hands-on participation, observers will receive a 50% refund of the course fee, following completion of the course.