Cardiac Anesthesiology

Cardiac anesthesiology, also known as cardiothoracic anesthesiology, focuses on the anesthetic management of patients prior to, during and after open heart surgery, lung surgery and other operations within the chest cavity. Physicians who practice this highly specialized area of medicine undergo four years of medical school followed by an internship in surgery or internal medicine and a three-year residency in anesthesiology followed by one year of advanced fellowship training in cardiothoracic anesthesiology. Their additional training includes a special focus on transesophageal echocardiography, cardiothoracic intensive care and specific surgeries including coronary artery bypass, heart valve and aortic reconstruction procedures, heart and lung transplants and more.