SCTS Transplant Education Lead Report

Espeed Khoshbin, SCTS Transplant Lead

For the first time in its history, cardiothoracic transplantation will be featured this year at the SCTS University. After almost three years, the SCTS is opening its door to a hybrid gathering between 8-10 May 2022 at the ICC in Belfast.

SCTS University:

Transplantation and mechanical circulatory support will be featured in the SCTS University amongst other cardiothoracic sub specialities on Sunday 8th May 2022. The theme for this programme will be contemporary approaches to transplantation and mechanical life support systems. There will be several national and internationally renowned presenters. The Programme will be co-chaired by a close colleague and transplant respiratory physician Dr Anna Reed. It is with great privilege that Mr Asif Hasan will be starting the program with his experience in heart transplantation, especially congenital and paediatric transplant and mechanical circulatory support. We are honoured by the presence of three international speakers from the United States, Dr Robert Kormos from the Texas Heart Institute who has agreed to present his experience with Heart Mate III left ventricular assist device, Dr Abbas Ardehali from UCLA, California will show case his successful lung transplant programme the largest in the west coast of the USA and his involvement with the organ care systems and related multi centred trials. Finally, Dr Ankit Bharat from Chicago Memorial Hospital will present his outcome for lung transplantation after COVID related acute lung injury and ECMO, one of the largest series to date. This year there will also be a prize for the best cardiothoracic transplant abstract/ video. I am grateful to the SCTS annual meeting organising committee members Mr Sunil Bhudia and Mr Cha Rajakaruna for approaching me to organise and chair this programme as the SCTS national lead in transplant education.

National Peri CCT Fellowship:

The success of the UKs peri-CCT Fellowship programme was assessed through surveys of the past and present peri-CCT fellows and directors of transplant programmes. Its results were published this year in the Annals of Surgical Education under the title, “The National Surgical Training Scheme in Cardiothoracic Transplantation: Training Competent Transplant Surgeons in the United Kingdom”. The program was reviewed last year by the speciality advisory committee and the joint Committee in surgical training in cardiothoracic surgery. This year there have been two new recruits into this prestigious post. They were allocated to the Royal Papworth and Wythenshawe Hospitals. There will be a third appointment to the Institute of Transplantation, Freeman Hospital. Training through this Fellowship will take an average of 15 months; however, half are expected to obtain a substantive consultant position within six months of completion of super-speciality training.

Transplant Courses:

The Institute of Transplantation at Freeman Hospital enjoys an international reputation for cardiopulmonary transplantation, mechanical assist devices and education in heart and lung failure surgery. After two years of cancellation due to travel restrictions this advanced international surgical course in aspects of heart and lung transplantation and mechanical circulatory support scheduled for 11-12 Jan 2022 unfortunately had to be cancelled at short notice and will be rescheduled some time in 2022. The course is designed to provide cardiothoracic surgeons with didactic teaching and hands on cadaveric surgical training experience in cardiopulmonary transplantation. Delegates will have the opportunity to perform heart and lung transplantation on fresh frozen cadavers under the guidance of an experienced faculty of transplant surgeons from across the UK. During an intensive two-day course delegates will also implant left ventricular assist devices, practice cannulation for ECMO and gain practical experience of ex-vivo lung perfusion.

Following the success of the virtual study day on core cardiac transplant skills for allied health professionals (AHP) on the 30th October 2021, with guidance from Mr Shahzad Raja, and much organisation by Dr Bhuvaneswari Bibleraaj, Ms Sophia Yi Wang and others from Harefield Hospital, we are planning a face-to-face course and wet lab in London. This course will cover aspects of organ donation, transplantation and mechanical circulatory support aimed at middle grade surgeons, physicians and allied health professionals. The courses will be subsidised through financial assistance secured by Dr Bhuvaneswari through industry sponsorship and therefore should be more affordable.

Future:

With some of the restrictions being lifted after the COVID-19 pandemic, we look forward to a new normality, “whatever that is”. Training in transplantation will have to continue to produce competent transplant surgeons to meet the continuing demands of the service. There must be a change in the way surgical and transplant education/assessment has been conducted to date. Next year there will be a pilot study into computerised learning and assessment, where we will be investing in innovation and research in surgical training and transplant education for the future generation of surgical trainees. n