• Jamie D Ungerleider, Ross M Ungerleider, Les James, Andrea Wolf, Melissa Kovacs, Robert Cerfolio, Virginia Litle, David T Cooke, K Candis Jones-Ungerleider, Michael Maddaus, Jessica G Y Luc, Abe DeAnda, Cherie P Erkmen, Kathy Bremner, and Ross M Bremner.
• Institute for Integrated Life Skills, LLC, Bermuda Run, NC.
• J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. 2024 Jan 1; 167 (1): 396402.e3396-402.e3.

ObjectivesWe aimed to evaluate how the current working climate of cardiothoracic surgery and burnout experienced by cardiothoracic surgeons influences their spouses and significant others (SOs).MethodsA 33-question well-being survey was developed by the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Wellness Committee and distributed by e-mail to the SOs of cardiothoracic surgeons and to all surgeon registrants of the 2020 and 2021 American Association for Thoracic Surgery Annual Meetings with a request to share it with their SO. The 5-item Likert-scale survey questions were dichotomized, and associations were determined by χ2 or independent samples t tests, as appropriate.ResultsResponses from 238 SOs were analyzed. Sixty-six percent reported that the stress on their cardiothoracic surgeon partner had a moderate to severe influence on their family, and 63% reported that their partner's work demands didn't leave enough time for family. Fifty-one percent reported that their partner rarely had time for intimacy, 27% reported poor work-life balance, and 23% reported that interactions at home were usually or always not good-natured. SOs were most affected when their partner was <5 years out from training, worked in private vs academic practice, and worked longer hours. Having children, particularly younger than age 19 years, and a lack of workplace support resources further diminished well-being.ConclusionsThe current work culture of cardiothoracic surgeons adversely affects their SOs, and the risk for families is concerning. These data present a major area for exploration as we strive to understand and mitigate the factors that lead to burnout among cardiothoracic surgeons.Copyright © 2023 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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