Journal of cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia
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J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. · Jun 2021
Sex Diversity in the Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship: The Influence of Geographic Region.
To investigate if the lack of sex diversity in adult cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellowships is a result of few female applicants or low acceptance rate. ⋯ There is an absence of clear identification of the barriers preventing women from entering cardiac anesthesiology. The reasons leading to a male-dominated field of cardiac anesthesiologists stem from fewer female anesthesiology residents applying to cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellowships. No bias against acceptance of women into cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellowships was found.
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J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. · Jun 2021
Transport and Retrieval on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO): Setup and Activities of an Immersive Transport and Retrieval on ECMO Workshop.
Extracorporeal life support and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are widely used for acute severe refractory cardiac and respiratory failure. An increasing number of patients are treated with ECMO worldwide. This can be attributed to technical and technologic advancements, easier access to modern equipment, and more regular and accessible training opportunities for practitioners to maintain current skills and develop new ones. ⋯ This article describes the authors' experience of developing and running a simulation-based ECMO Transport and Retrieval workshop, with multiple immersive scenarios and opportunities for participants to familiarize themselves with the process and the ambulance equipment and environment. Preparation is a key element to successfully run scenarios that are technically challenging to facilitate due to the environment and equipment involved. To date, 136 multidisciplinary ECMO providers have attended the workshop and no incidents have been reported by the authors' teams during actual transfers and retrieval missions with patients on ECMO.