Nikki Stamp

Successful Heart Transplant after Ten Hours Out-of-body Time using the TransMedics Organ Care System

OBJECTIVE We report the successful transplantation of a heart following an out-of-body time of 611 minutes into a recipient with dilated cardiomyopathy and left ventricular assist device implant. PATIENTS Our patient was urgently waiting for a cardiac transplant whilst receiving LVAD support. Recurrent VF and repeated AICD shocks necessitated this action. RESULTS Although requiring ECMO and inotropic support in the first 17 hours post-transplant, the patient was discharged from hospital on day 15 post-transplant with normal cardiac function. CONCLUSION We report some of the salient points of the process and discuss the utility of this technology to an Australian transplant unit.

The #NYerORCoverChallenge: What it means for women in cardiothoracic surgery

From the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Tex; and Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia. Disclosures: Authors have nothing to disclose with regard to commercial support. Received for publication April 15, 2017; revisions received May 16, 2017; accepted for publication June 6, 2017. Address for reprints: Mara B. Antonoff, MD, 1400 Pressler St, Unit 1489, Houston, TX 77030 (E-mail: mbantonoff@mdanderson.org). J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2017;-:1-3 0022-5223/

Social Media as a Means of Networking and Mentorship: Role for Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery

36.00 Copyright 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2017.06.015

The academic tweet: Twitter as a tool to advance academic surgery

As women represent <5% of practicing cardiothoracic (CT) surgeons, networking and mentorship is pivotal to support the growth of women in this field. With widespread use of social media in the healthcare domain, its role in enhancing mentorship for CT surgeons who lack access to same-sex mentors remains unknown. Methods: A 35-item survey investigating CT trainee and surgeon social media use was designed using online survey software and distributed via social media and email. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. One hundred fifty-six respondents who completed the survey reported careers in surgery, among whom 27 (17.3%) were in CT surgery. Despite expressing value for the role of same-sex mentorship in their careers more than those in other surgical specialties (P = 0.044), respondents in CT surgery were more likely to lack exposure to same-sex mentors at their own institution (P = 0.028). Compared to other surgical specialties, CT surgery respondents more frequently engaged with mentors of the same sex by viewing social media sites (P = 0.041) to discuss topics regarding surviving a career in the field (P = 0.049) and promotion of scholarship opportunities (P < 0.001). CT surgery respondents reported a trend towards a greater likelihood of using social media to build a network of same-sex mentorship compared to other surgical specialties (P = 0.077). Conclusions: Social media serves as a valuable tool to enhance the networking and mentorship of surgeons, particularly for women in CT surgery who may lack exposure to same-sex mentors at their own institution. Longitudinal studies surrounding the effectiveness of mentorship by social media are warranted.

Social media in the mentorship and networking of physicians: Important role for women in surgical specialties

Social media, Twitter in particular, has emerged as an essential tool for surgeons. In the realm of academic surgery, it enables surgeons to advance the core values of academic surgery, as outlined by the Association for Academic Surgery: inclusion, leadership, innovation, scholarship, and mentorship. This article details the ways in which surgeons are using Twitter to embody these values and how the Twitter account for the Association of Academic Surgeons accomplishes its goal of inspiring and developing young academic surgeons.

Patch Repair of Anomalous Origin of Left Anterior Descending Artery From the Right Coronary Artery

BACKGROUND Social media may be a useful supplement to physician and trainee interactions; however, its role in enhancing mentorship has not been described. METHODS A 35-item survey investigating trainee and physician social media use was distributed. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS 282 respondents completed the survey, among whom 136 (48.2%) reported careers in surgical specialties. Women in surgical specialties were more likely to describe the specialty as being dominated by the opposite sex (p < 0.001) and to be mentored by the opposite sex though wish to be mentored by individuals of the same sex (p < 0.001). Respondents in surgical specialties were also more likely to report using social media to build a network of same-sex mentorship (p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS Social media serves as a valuable tool to enhance the networking and mentorship of surgeons, particularly for women in surgical specialties who may lack exposure to same-sex mentors at their own institution.

Modern cardiac surgery: the future of cardiac surgery in Australia

Coronary artery anomalies occur in an estimated 1.3% of the population. We present the case of a 52-year-old man who had a less common anomaly of a left anterior descending artery arising from the right coronary ostium, causing ischemia and chest pain, demonstrated by perfusion scan. The usual options for management of coronary anomalies were not suitable for this anatomy, and therefore we present a case of patch augmentation of the arteries.

Bullying in surgery isn’t just Australia’s problem

Cardiac surgery is a relatively young specialty and is undergoing many changes presently. The advent of catheter‐based technology, minimally invasive surgery and better information regarding the roles of cardiac surgery in the management of common cardiac disease is changing the way we provide services. In Australia, attention must be turned to the way cardiac surgical services are provided to enable delivery of modern procedures. This has implications for the provision of training. We explore the face of modern cardiac surgery and how this may be taken up in Australia.

Surgical Results and Outcomes After Reimplantation for the Management of Anomalous Aortic Origin of the Right Coronary Artery.

We read with interest The BMJ ’s articles on bullying and sexism in surgery.1 2 3 We commend the journal for publishing on this issue, but we see some notable shortcomings in the articles. It may seem logical to attribute bullying to a macho culture in Australia and in surgery, but this is a gross simplification of why bullying exists …