Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society
A Section of the the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia

Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society

  • Member Login
  • Forgot Password?
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission Statement
    • Bylaws
    • Board of Directors
    • History
    • Past Presidents
    • Charter Members
    • CCAS Lifetime Achievement Award
    • Mailing List Rental
    • Contact Us
  • Partner Organizations
    • SPA
    • SPPM
    • PALC
    • PCICS
    • AmSECT
    • SMACT
    • CHA
    • CCAN
  • Committees
    • CCAS Committees
      • Communications Committee
      • CCAS-STS Database Committee
      • Education Committee
      • Membership Committee
      • Quality and Safety Committee
      • Research Committee
    • CCAS Special Interest Groups
      • Adult Congenital Heart Disease Special Interest Group (SIG)
      • ERAS Special Interest Group (SIG)
      • Hemostasis Special Interest Group (SIG)
      • Latin America Special Interest Group (SIG)
      • Pulmonary Hypertension Special Interest Group (SIG)
      • Trainee Special Interest Group (SIG)
  • Membership
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Membership Categories
    • Join CCAS
      • Online Application
      • Printable Application
    • Renew Your Dues
    • Sponsor a Member
    • Get Involved
    • CCAS Member Application
      • Online Membership Application
      • Printable Membership Application
  • Meetings
    • Upcoming Meetings
    • Past Meetings
    • Other Meetings
    • Exhibit Information
  • Education
    • CCAS Virtual Visiting Professor Program
    • CCAS Webinar Series
      • CCAS Webinar Series – Recordings
    • CCAS COVID 19 Webinar
    • Lecture Series
    • Echo Tutorial
    • Archived Questions
    • Poll of the Month Archives
    • Review Articles
      • CCAS-CHiP Network Journal Watch Collaboration
      • SCVA Articles
    • Journals of Interest
    • Books of Interest
    • Educational Links
  • Resources
    • CCAS Position Statements
    • CCAS Committee Resources
    • CCAS Special Interest Group (SIG) Resources
    • CCAS Cognitive Aids
    • Newsletters
    • Mission Trips
    • Societies
    • Job Opportunities
  • Research
    • Research Committee
    • Research Updates
    • CCAS Research Award
    • Call for Surveys
    • STS-CCAS Database
    • Donate to the Dolly Hansen Fund
    • Grant Opportunities
  • Trainees
    • Introduction to Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology
    • Trainee Lecture Series
    • Advanced Training
    • Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowship Common Goals and Objectives
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia Education Resources
    • Coaching/Mentoring Initiative
  • Patients
    • FAQs for Cardiac Anesthesia
    • FAQs for Cardiac Anesthesia – Spanish
    • SmartTots FAQs for Parents
    • Useful Resources for Parents

Introduction to Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology


Why you should consider a fellowship:
Given the increased survival of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), anesthesiologists are called upon to provide perioperative care to patients with CHD ranging in age from neonates to adults.   The intellectual, cognitive, and technical demands of providing care to this group of patients is rigorous and unique requiring additional training in pediatric cardiac anesthesiology. Those who are interested in caring for this growing population of patients with complex medical and surgical history and specific physiological concerns should consider pursuing pediatric cardiac anesthesiology.

Description of Training Pathways
Pediatric cardiac anesthesiology has developed as a sub-specialty over the past 50 years. It has been practiced since the first patent ductus arteriosus was ligated by the cardiac surgeon Dr. Robert Gross in 1938.  As surgical and percutaneous interventions and technologies in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) have evolved, pediatric cardiac anesthesia has evolved as a distinct field.  Anesthesiologists that find themselves interested in Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia come from a variety of backgrounds. The most common path is to pursue an Anesthesia residency followed by a Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship and then a Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia Fellowship. A small subset train in Adult Cardiac Anesthesiology and pursue further training in Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology. The Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia Fellowship is a 12 months fellowship. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28922234/)

Life After Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowship
There is a great demand for anesthesiologists with pediatric cardiac training given the increase in survival of patients with congenital heart disease in the past few decades. The majority of graduates (~80%) practice pediatric cardiac anesthesia or a combination of pediatric anesthesia and pediatric  cardiac anesthesia. The rest of the graduates work in a combined pediatric cardiac and adult cardiac or a combination of anesthesia and critical care, adult cardiac and other settings.

Compared to other sub-specialties in anesthesiology, pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists work with a relatively smaller group of surgical colleagues and physicians who care for these patients prior to and following their surgical procedure. This facilitates the interdisciplinary research collaboration for improving the quality of the care provided to this very complex patient population. This  sub-specialty is indeed clinically demanding and you will be caring for some of the most challenging patients within the hospital, but that is again the beauty of this specialty since you get to take care of these patients and their families at their most vulnerable times. Since many of these patients undergo repeated procedures, it is not rare for some of these patients and families to build ongoing relationships with their anesthesiologist.

 

Poll of the Month

March 2023
In your current practice, which of the following sites do you routinely monitor tissue oxygenation with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass? (Select all that apply)
View Results
Total Answers 267
Total Votes 161

Upcoming Meeting Information

CCAS 2023 Annual Meeting
March 30, 2023
JW Marriott
Austin, TX

Mobile Meeting Guide
Registration
Hotel Reservations

Join CCAS
Renew
Donate
Get Involved
Upcoming
Job Postings
  • Member Login
  • Forgot Password?
2209 Dickens Road, Richmond, VA 23230 • 804-282-9780 • [email protected]
Copyright © 2020 The Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society | View Privacy Policy