Loyola University Medical Center
Loyola University Medical Center is located in Maywood, IL, about 10 miles west of the University of Illinois campus. Residents are assigned to a two-month Cardiac Anesthesia Block at Loyola during the second and third year of anesthesia training. The first month is dedicated to Cardiac Anesthesia intraoperative management and the second month is the cardiac surgical intensive care unit. The Loyola Cardiac Service tackles some of the most complex and challenging cardiovascular cases in Chicago, performing over 1200 cardiac and thoracics cases per year. These procedures include: CABGs and valve replacements to complex aortic repairs requiring circulatory arrest, and heart and lung transplantation. It is a great opportunity for us to draw on the strengths of Loyola to supplement our cardiovascular experience at UIC. Our residents are assigned to Cardiac Anesthesia and Liver Anesthesia at UIC prior to the Loyola experience. In this manner, residents have a solid foundation in cardiac anesthesia concepts that are challenged in a higher acuity environment.
The Loyola Block exposes residents to the perioperative management of patients with end stage heart failure and/or advanced lung disease, including those requiring circulatory assist devices, such as intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABPs), left or right ventricle assist devices (VADs), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. Residents work closely with a dedicated group of cardiothoracic trained faculty as well as two cardiothoracic anesthesia fellows, with weekly didactics to reinforce topics encountered in the operating room.
At the end of this two-month period, residents feel comfortable with titration of vasopressors and inotropic agents, basic TEE interpretation, invasive line placement, and management decisions involved in ‘going on’ and ‘coming off’ cardiopulmonary bypass.