Fellowship In Interventional Cardiology

Fellowship in Interventional Cardiology under the auspices of
Training Academy for Cardiovascular Interventions and Yashoda Hospital, Secunderabad

Training Academy for Cardiovascular Interventions and Yashoda Hospital, Secunderabad

Invite applications from highly motivated Cardiologists interested in pursuing a career in Interventional Cardiology for a one-year training program.  During the year of interventional training, fellows are expected to master the techniques involved in coronary intervention, while developing perspective on procedural risk and benefit, patient selection and clinical decision-making in cardiovascular patient care. At the end of the year, fellows should function as independent operators during interventional procedures. 

Course tenure – Starts on 1 April 2024 and ends 31 March 2025.
Total positions available: Two
Online screening evaluation – 25 February 2024, 3 to 5 pm – Indian time
Online Personal Interview – short-listed candidates – 3 March 2024
Please apply using the link: Apply Now

Spectrum of Interventions that trainee is expected to learn include:

• Percutaneous coronary intervention (complex interventions: treatment of calcified lesions, left main stenting, treatment of bifurcations)
• Percutaneous coronary intervention (treatment of chronic total occlusions)
• Transcatheter aortic valve implantation
• Structural heart interventions (left atrial appendage closure, PFO closure, ASD closure, paravalvular leak closure, etc.)
• Intracoronary imaging (IVUS, OCT) and imaging-guided PCI approach
• Physiological lesion assessment (FFR) and physio-guided PCI approach
• Carotid arterial interventions
• Peripheral arterial intervention
• Renal denervation
• Renal protection and contrast-less PCI
• Management of shock and protected PCI with mechanical circulatory supports
• Non-invasive CAD diagnosis (coronary CT and angio-based physiologic assessment)
• Imaging for structural heart intervention (TEE-guidance of structural interventions and advanced CT analysis)

Trainee will perform between 200 to 250 coronary interventions during the one-year program. Fellows are expected to maintain a logbook for the cases attended as well as the department academic presentations.

Clinical Responsibilities 

The clinical fellows are responsible for seeing patients pre- and post-cath. They are involved in the daily care of these patients, including their pre-catheterization evaluation. The clinical fellow participates in daily rounds on these patients. All cases are discussed in the morning prior to the day’s procedures. There is a comprehensive core curriculum lecture series that includes didactic presentations, as well as a journal club and an intensive morbidity and mortality review.

About the institute

The Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program allows fellows the opportunity to work with a variety of highly qualified invasive cardiologists in the setting of an extremely active program which performs approximately 10,000 cases per year. The case material is varied and challenging, as Yashoda Hospital serves both as the primary hospital for the local neighbourhood as well as a tertiary referral centre which draws patients from affiliated hospitals and health centres throughout India.  Furthermore, the Interventional Program is academically based and has active research protocols including multicentre and investigator-driven trials. This provides ample opportunity for fellows to pursue their research interests. 

Facilities

The Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory is located on the 2nd floor of the Yashoda hospital, building on Secunderabad campus. The laboratory is comprised of three state-of-the-art, high-resolution digital fluoroscopy units, supported by advanced imaging technology such as IVUS, OCT and interventional tools such as rotational atherectomy, orbital atherectomy. A wide variety of diagnostic and interventional procedures are performed in these laboratories, with approximately 10,000 cases done per year, approximately 2,500 of which are coronary interventions. The cardiac intensive care unit has 50 beds and the day-care unit attached to the catheterization lab has an additional 25 beds. 

Requirements

Requirements of the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship include:

• Completion and passing of 3-year training in Cardiology following a 3-year internal medicine qualification. 
• Valid medical registration by National Medical Council of India or an ability to do so.

Prerequisite Training/Selection Criteria

Two fellows are selected from a highly competitive field of applicants for the training program. Fellows are selected from among eligible applicants based on their ability, academic credentials, aptitude, communication skills, intellectual and humanistic qualities, personal attributes (such as motivation and integrity), preparedness and their ability to benefit from the program. These qualities may be assessed through review of academic records, letters of recommendation, score obtained in a screening evaluation, and other means, including interviews. Fellows must have completed three years of General Cardiology training prior to entering the program.

Primary Teaching Institution

Fellows spend 12 months assigned to the cardiac catheterization laboratory at Yashoda Hospital. Prior to a procedure, the fellow sees and examines the patient, explains the procedure to be performed and obtains informed consent. The fellow reviews the case and discusses pertinent issues with the faculty attending before the patient is taken into the laboratory. The attending is scrubbed during every interventional procedure. As the fellow develops his or her skills, he or she progressively performs more of the procedures in a primary role. Advancement of responsibility is at the discretion of the faculty attending until the fellow can perform cases as primary operator. Over the course of the year, the attending may assist or stand aside to observe, giving verbal instructions and feedback as necessary. The fellow reviews pressure tracings, ultrasound recordings and angiography data with the attending, completes the procedure note, writes the post-procedural orders and procedure report, then follows the patient post-procedurally. The patient is seen again the following morning and daily thereafter until discharge, during which time the fellow writes progress notes detailing the apparent results of the procedure and records any interim complications. On call weekends, fellows will assist the on-call interventional attending with rounds on the inpatient service.

Outpatient Clinic

Fellows rotate in the outpatient clinics three half-day per week over the course of the one-year training program. Patients seen in the outpatient clinic include patients undergoing pre-procedural evaluation as well as follow-up after interventional procedures for coronary, non-coronary cardiac, and peripheral interventions. The fellow follows their course, and under the supervision of the preceptor, orders medications and diagnostic testing as clinically indicated. Patients referred to the preceptor for consideration of revascularization will be scheduled as new patients for the fellow. These new patients provide the fellow with consultative experience in the outpatient setting. Pre-procedure evaluation patients provide the fellow with consultative experience in the outpatient setting. Fellow and preceptor discuss the indications, if any, for percutaneous revascularization and anatomical or clinical characteristics which would favour coronary artery bypass grafting surgery as an alternative.

Fellows’ Presentations

The interventional cardiology fellows prepare and present at the cardiac catheterization grand rounds each week Tuesday 8 am. These include the presentation of patients including strategy and review of interventional outcome as well as pertinent literature. 

Journal club is scheduled each week Monday at 8 am. Fellows are expected to choose an Interventional trial and discuss in depth along with the pertinent literature. 

Fellowship Program Basic Rotations/Block Distribution:

Cath Lab: 12 months

Outpatient Clinic: Three half-day sessions each week

Invasive Service 24-hour duty rota: Every Friday and one weekend every month

Stipend:

Fellows would be paid a consolidated amount of Rupees One lakh per month.

Medical indemnity and health insurance: Fellows are reimbursed for valid indemnity and self-health insurance during the fellowship tenure. 

Research responsibilities:

There is a research requirement for all interventional cardiology fellows, which includes the full scope of project involvement (e.g. enrolment of patients, data analysis, presentation or publication of results including in abstract form and complete manuscripts). The program director facilitates a connection between the interventional fellows and potential faculty research mentors before the fellows arrive; in this fashion, fellows may maximize their academic productivity during the one-year program. Approximately 20 percent of the year is protected for academic research. Trainees would get opportunity to present the academic data at national and international conferences.

Trainees are expected to be actively involved in manuscript preparation for research articles and invited authorship for textbook chapters. In addition, the department brings out a monthly Cardiology journal in which the fellow would be given academic responsibilities and duties. 

Learn more about the faculty of Interventional training program. 

Dr C Raghu MD; DM; FACC; FESC
Director Cardiology
Yashoda Hospital
Secunderabad
www.drraghu.com