Cardiothoracic Surgery at Columbia

New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center (NYHP/CUMC) offers a broad-based cardiothoracic educational experience.  The adult cardiac experience encompasses routine coronary artery bypass and valve surgery.  In addition, the experience covers all current surgical treatment options for end stage heart disease, including heart and heart–lung transplantation, left ventricular assist device implantation, transmyocardial laser revascularization, and high-risk reparative surgery.  We have one of the busiest heart transplant and mechanical assist device programs in the nation.  Finally, our Minimally Invasive, Robotic, and Surgical Arrhythmia programs provide our residents with cutting edge training in these exciting areas.  The thoracic experience encompasses esophageal and lung surgery, as well as lung transplantation and lung reduction surgery.  Our residents are exposed to a wide variety of pediatric cardiac cases.  The pediatric program is one of the busiest on the East Coast and presents one of the most technically challenging and diverse experiences in pediatric cardiac surgery.  The Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery is actively involved in research and encourages residents to become involved in research projects.  Residents are also encouraged to become involved with teaching and public speaking.  We consider it important to teach residents to read the literature with discrimination, and present patients or papers orally with confidence.  Given the breath of conventional clinical experience as a well as the active programs involved with newer technologies, the residents are prepared not only for conventional cardiac and thoracic practices but also for the changes in the decades ahead.

last update: 9/15/04