CURRICULUM – VATS Fellowship Aug 1 st 2023 – Jul 31 st 2024
Name Of fellowship - IACTS Fellowship in Video-assisted Thoracic Surgery ( VATS )
Course duration - 1 year
Programme Director & Coordinator : Dr. Balasubramoniam KR
Mob – 8547868097 email – drbala21101@gmail.com
Learning Objectives
Video assisted Thoracic Surgery ( VATS ) has firmly established itself as a minimally invasive approach in Thoracic surgery and currently young surgeons are interested in getting trained in VATS as a new platform for Thoracic surgery . The importance of a long learning curve for this technically demanding field has been repeatedly stressed upon in the literature all over the world. As of date India lacks a formal postgraduate training program for VATS. This comprehensive course capsule would be a balance of operative skills, diagnosis and management of surgical complications, postoperative follow up and research. The Learning objectives will be covered as under:
- Orientation on VATS
- VATS Instrumentation
- Basic Techniques – Positioning and port placements
- Operational Techniques of VATS procedures
- Management of Complications – Intraoperative and postoperative
- Records Analysis and Publications
- Review of relevant Literature
Fellowship Programme Comprises of the following
- Lectures and presentations will cover both the theoretical as well as practical aspects of the training programme
- The fellow will spend a required amount of time on Endotrainers and animal models in VATS workshops
- The fellow will attend live surgeries.
- The fellow will have to undertake research projects in the form of two scientific publications in a peer review journal for the presentations at the end of term and it will be mandatory for them to be the first author of at least one publication.
- Maintain a logbook of all the cases assisted and performed .
- The fellow will make academic presentations in conferences on state/national/international level.
- The fellow will attend clinical rounds and assist surgeons clinical management of Thoracic surgery patients.
- The fellow will assist the unit in formulating treatment plans.
- The fellow will comply to all rules and regulations of the hospitals.
- The fellow will maintain daily logbook and submit copy of the same to the institute.
Programme schedule
- 1 year VATS training in Thoracic surgery department, Yashoda Hospital , Secunderabad ( and associated hospitals at Somajiguda and Malakpet )
SYLLABUS
- Instrumentation & Port placement - Videoassisted Thoracic Surgery
- Surgical Anatomy of Thorax
- Physiology of Respiration
- Preoperative Evaluation of Thoracic Patient
- Postoperative Management of Thoracic Patient
- VATS wedge Biopsy & Lymphnode dissection
- VATS Diaphragmatic plication
- VATS Decortication
- VATS Thymectomy
- VATS Mediastinal tumour excision
- VATS Sympathectomy
- VATS Bullectomy
- VATS Lobectomy
- VATS pneumonectomy
- Uniportal VATS
- Managing intraoperative VATS complications
- Managing Postoperative care and Complications
- Outcomes of Video assisted Thoracic Surgery
CLINICAL SKILLS
- History and examination of the Thoracic patient
- Preoperative evaluation and optimization of Thoracic patient
- Multidisciplinary team meetings and consults
- Recommend the most suitable surgical approach and counsel the patient regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the allocated surgery
- Assessment of the post-operative patient by participating in the daily ward rounds and in the post op outpatient evaluation.
- Management decisions for early and late complications of Video assisted Thoracic Surgery
TECHNICAL SKILLS ( Surgical Operation)
- The Fellow should be exposed to around 200 VATS Thoracic procedures
- The fellow should have assumed the role of primary surgeon in at least 50 cases by having performed the key operative steps in part or whole
- The fellow should also be exposed to other surgical Thoracic procedures such as Open, Robotic & Bilateral Lung transplant.
- Fellows should also have exposure to Bronchoscopy and interventional Pulmonology procedures such as EBUS, balloon dilatation & stent insertion.
LOGBOOK (per 12 months)
- Log book should be maintained during the training period; it will be required at the end of fellowship program for final evaluation.
The course would follow a structured syllabus with regular evaluations of the student competencies. He/She will submit monthly reports in the first week of every month.
STIPEND
The fellow will be paid a monthly stipend of INR 1,12,500 by Yashoda hospital Secundrabad.