JARED HERR: Here at CPMC, we build upon a legacy
that started many years ago.
And with that, we understand that we
have a significant responsibility
to train the future of our field.
It was only natural for us to develop an advanced heart
failure and transplant cardiology fellowship program.
CPMC been training cardiologists since 1959
when the general cardiology fellowship began.
But we, in 2020, are the first subspecialty within cardiology
to develop an independent training program.
And we have a one-year ACGME accredited advanced heart
failure and transplant cardiology fellowship program.
And this program is designed to train the future advanced heart
failure cardiologists and leaders within our field.
MICHAEL PHAM: The advanced heart failure and transplant
cardiology fellowship provides a unique opportunity for fellows
to be involved in a rapidly expanding program that
serves a broad geographic region across northern California.
We're part of an integrated health care system, which
consists of 24 hospitals, as well
as a massive ambulatory footprint of clinics,
urgent care clinics, and outpatient surgery
centers throughout northern California.
Our strength is that Sutter is an open network, which
means that we care for advanced heart failure patients that
come both within and outside the network.
We were the first private hospital
to perform heart transplants in 1984
and have performed more than 500 heart transplants since.
Last year, we performed 22 heart transplants, 33 durable LVADs,
and over 60 ECMO cannulations.
JARED HERR: Our patient population here
provides ample breadth of management
and clinical experience in all aspects of heart failure care,
from the stable chronic outpatient
to the acute cardiogenic shock patient who requires
temporary mechanical support.
MICHAEL PHAM: At CPMC, you have exposure
to all the subspecialties of cardiology,
including advanced cardiovascular and
interventional imaging, structural heart,
electrophysiology, and congenital heart disease.
Our ICUs are staffed by nurse practitioners
and intensivists 24/7.
And we have hospitalists that write orders and respond
to nursing questions on the floor, which
means that our Fellows can focus on the big picture
of patient management and doing procedures
and not on doing scut.
JARED HERR: One of the greatest aspects of this program
is that we are a small program.
It allows for fellows to have really great one
on one interaction with faculty that you wouldn't necessarily
obtain at a larger program.
That will allow our fellows to develop
long lasting relationships with their faculty
and develop both clinical and academic skills that
will allow them to be leaders in the field of cardiology.
BRETT SHERIDAN: The trainee, the fellows,
they get to bridge the entire expanse
of the journey of the advanced heart failure patient,
from pre-admission to the hospital,
through their hospital experience,
admission of cardiogenic shock patients
that are highly dynamic and unstable.
And they're a part of that journey,
whether it's from a medical non-interventional perspective,
or whether it's through a surgical perspective.
They can be a part of the donor runs,
and they will be, actually.
Or even part of the intraoperative experience,
if they so choose, either by reviewing
the transesophageal echo or viewing the procedure
or even scrubbing in.
As far as our heart transplant outcomes, we are,
if you look at the scientific registry
of transplant recipients, we're top 10 in the country.
Right now, we're ranked number two.
We're number one in the state of California
for one-year survival, time on wait list prior
to transplantation, and mortality rate on the wait list
prior to transplantation.
So using those three metrics, SRTR
has put us number two in the country.
And so we feel like whatever we're doing,
we're doing it right.
And it's a reflection of the esprit de
corps and the multidisciplinary team spirit
that we apply every day here at CPMC.
JARED HERR: Our fellows will have ample opportunity
to participate in original research, leading
to publication or presentation at national meetings,
as well as in peer reviewed journals.
MICHAEL PHAM: At CPMC, we have an existing research
infrastructure within our GME program
to help residents and fellows design a project
and submit a protocol for IRV review.
Additionally, we're building a robust database within REDCap
to capture all of our patients who
require acute circulatory support devices, heart
transplants, or durable LVADs.
This will enable us to track the outcomes of our patients
over time and to answer research questions.
I'm very excited about this database as a resource
for our future fellows.
JARED HERR: The San Francisco Bay Area
is an outstanding place to live.
From the rich culture opportunities, great weather,
and ample outdoor activities, it has something for everybody
here in this area, and you would love living here.
