Vascular Surgery Program Overview The two-year ACGME-accredited training program in Vascular Surgery at Wake Forest University Health Sciences is distinguished by five major strengths: - A large clinical volume of open vascular surgery with an emphasis on complex aortic, renal and visceral artery repair.
- A large volume of endovascular diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
- An operating suite dedicated to endovascular procedures with a fixed fluoroscopic unit.
- A fully accredited non-invasive vascular laboratory.
- A research opportunity providing in-depth involvement in both basic science and clinical projects.
Beginning July 2004, two accredited positions are offered each year. In the first year, the trainees are dedicated to basic science and clinical research, while the second year is devoted to clinical training. Fellows acquire extensive experience in all aspects of open vascular surgery, endovascular procedures, medical management, and diagnostic testing. Involvement in all phases of patient evaluation and treatment provide a unique educational experience for the trainee in pursuit of a career in complex vascular disease. The Vascular Surgery Service exists as a distinct Section within the Department of General Surgery. The service is comprised of the Teaching Faculty, the two Vascular Fellows, a PGY-5 General Surgery Chief Resident, a PGY-3 General Surgery Resident, and 3 PGY-1 General Surgery Interns. A dedicated Nurse Practitioner, Pharm-D, and Social Worker support the Teaching Service. The Vascular Surgery Service shares an 11-bed Surgical Intensive Care Unit with General Surgery. All in- patients are admitted to a single hospital floor dedicated to vascular patients. All vascular patients are managed by the Vascular Surgery Service throughout their perioperative evaluation and hospital stay. The most conspicuous aspect of the Vascular Surgery Training Program is the balance between complex branch aortic reconstructions and endovascular procedures. The Vascular Surgery Training Program at Wake Forest has a large volume of aortic and branch aortic reconstructions performed annually. During the 2002-2003 academic year, more than 1400 vascular operations were performed at Wake Forest. These included 192 aortic and branch aortic repairs. Isolated mesenteric reconstructions were performed in 21 patients. In all 82 renal artery reconstructions were performed. Thirty-one patients had isolated renal artery repair, including 13 bilateral renal artery procedures. Twenty-one branch renal artery ex vivo reconstructions were performed. This case complexity provides a unique educational opportunity. The open surgical experience is complemented by a comprehensive endovascular experience. The 2003-2004 Clinical Vascular Fellow performed over 450 endovascular diagnostic procedures and 200 therapeutic procedures. This educational experience has been enhanced by the addition of a state-of-the-art operating suite dedicated to endovascular procedures and recruitment of teaching faculty expert in the application and development of endovascular technologies. This outstanding clinical experience is strengthened by involvement in the Clinical Vascular Laboratory, a fully accredited, non-invasive vascular laboratory equipped for all venous and arterial examinations. In the 2002-2003 academic year, the laboratory completed over 12,000 non-invasive studies, including more than 300 intraoperative completion studies. The Fellow will acquire experience and expertise with the methodology, interpretation, and quality control of non-invasive testing necessary to establish and direct an accredited vascular laboratory. A research year preliminary to the year of clinical experience is an integral feature of the training program. During this year, the Vascular Surgery Fellows are free of patient care responsibilities to devote time to research projects in collaboration with the responsible teaching faculty. Research efforts encompass two general themes, each with a range of specific objectives. The first of these is basic research in animal models of arterial injury, including application of gene therapy to modulate intimal hyperplasia and re-stenosis. The second is clinical research, which examines the clinical outcomes of medical and interventional management of vascular disease. These research activities lead to presentations at the regional and national levels, as well as peer-reviewed publications. Fellows are encouraged to present their research at The Southern Association for Vascular Surgery (SAVS), the American Heart Association (AHA), and the Society of Vascular Surgery (SVS). Fellows are also encouraged to participate in local surgical society events. |