Resident Education Program in Thoracic Surgery

Simulation training is proving to be the new and quickly expanding frontier in resident education. Providing residents with hands-on experience and one-on-one guidance BEFORE entering the operating room is invaluable.

The Vanderbilt Thoracic Surgery Residency Program, under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Nesbitt, is in the early stages of its simulation program development and has joined forces with institutions across the United States to develop training models and evaluation methods to improve training techniques and operative skills.

Download the Goals of the Cardiac Surgery Simulation

Beating Heart Model - Video

                      Dr. Jon Nesbitt instructing Dan Cuadrado (senior resident) in the simulation
                      lab on the beating heart model.

                             
The simulated thoracic well                   A perfused porcine heart is positioned
is shown with a porcine heart               using the cardiac stabilizer in preparation
being positioned for CAB.                      for an OpCAB.
 
           
         An OpCAB is being performed upon a perfused porcine heart
         utlizing canine saphenous vein for the anterior descending 
         coronary artery.      

     
 Dr. Steve Hoff is instructing senior resident Dan Cuadrado
who is performing an OpCAB on the porcine cardiac simulator.                     

  
  Close up view of a coronary artery bypass procedure ("on pump") 
  using the porcine simulation model.

TSDA Boot Camp

The Thoracic Surgery Director's Assocation, recognizing the value of simulation training to prepare residents, created a simulation boot camp for first year thoracic surgery residents.