Cardiothoracic Surgery

Highly technical and demanding skills are mastered through years of physician assistant practice, master degree and post-graduate surgical residency.

• Performs patient histories and physical exams
• Handles daily patient rounds (including the CVICU), patient education and discharge summaries
• Performs invasive procedures, such as thoracenteses, chest tube insertions, placement of central venous, dialysis and Swan-Ganz catheters, arterial lines and intra-aortic balloon pumps
• Exhibits autonomy in the operating room when required
• Retrieves vascular tissue, including greater and lesser saphenous veins and/or radial arteries, for use as a bypass conduit
• Often uses endoscopic retrieval methods and involved in the industrial aspect of EVH
• Performs first assistant duties on all adult and pediatric cardiac cases, thoracic and major/minor vascular cases

• Meets the specific needs of the attending surgeon, often assisting several surgeons in a single practice
• Has exacting knowledge of each surgeon's idiosyncrasies to expedite the procedure and limit patient morbidity and mortality
• Uses knowledge of medical model to promote synergistic relationship between physician and PA
• Has extensive knowledge of the pharmacologic effects of vasoactive/ cardiotonic drugs, ventilator management and artificial cardiac devices

• Performs duties of a primary care PA
• Manages other disease entities frequently encountered in the cardiac population, namely hypertension, diabetes, COPD, asthma, hypothyroidism and others