Atrial Fibrillation Fellowship
Summary
- Bursary: Up to €5,000
- Location: A high-volume AF ablation surgery centre in either the Netherlands, Sheffield, Italy, Germany, Poland, Spain or Belgium
- Duration: In-hospital training over a four-week period and attendance at two training courses.
The Atrial Fibrillation Fellowship is sponsored by AtriCure, a leading provider of innovative technologies to treat atrial fibrillation.
Introduction
The Atrial Fibrillation Fellowship is designed to enhance clinical understanding and surgical proficiency in treating patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The Fellowship supports cardiothoracic surgeons working towards a leadership role in surgical AF treatment.
This Fellowship gives Fellows an opportunity to acquire the foundational knowledge of the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation, the rationale for its surgical treatment and to gain first-hand experience in AF correction procedures through a range of surgical approaches.
The Atrial Fibrillation Fellowship is sponsored by AtriCure, a leading provider of innovative technologies to treat atrial fibrillation.
Fellowship overview
The Atrial Fibrillation Fellowship includes two courses – AtriCure Maze 4 training programme and AtriCure Navigating the Maze training programme – plus in-hospital training over a four-week period at a high-volume AF ablation surgery centre in either the Netherlands, Sheffield, Italy, Germany, Poland, Spain or Belgium, with world leading surgeons.
Throughout your fellowship, you will also receive one-to-one support from the EACTS Fellowship Manager, Amanda McKechnie, to ensure you get the most out of this opportunity.
Funding
This Fellowship includes a generous financial contribution of €5,000 towards living and travel costs. In addition, EACTS will provide a bursary towards the cost of your attendance at the 2023 EACTS Annual Meeting (the largest cardiothoracic meeting in the world), and Atricure will fund the additional training that they provide
AtriCure will pay for attendance and accommodation whilst you attend the AtriCure Maze 4, and AtriCure Navigating the Maze training programmes.
What past fellows say about the Atrial Fibrillation Fellowship
“Even though it was only an observational period, this one-month Fellowship allowed me to get in contact with different techniques to treat isolated or concomitant atrial fibrillation, and to manage the left atrial appendage. I also had the opportunity to learn how and when to use each technique, to decide properly what method fits better for each patient, and, importantly, how to deal with eventual problems.
“I also observed how other cardiac centers worked, as well as their organisation and structure. I saw patients with excellent postoperative recovery and their expectation with the treatment. This kind of experience always contributes to my professional and personal growth.”
How the Atrial Fibrillation Fellowship will advance your surgical education
The curriculum will include a thorough review and demonstrated understanding of the following topics:
- Pathophysiology of AF
- Electrophysiologic mechanisms of AF
- Key cardiac anatomy associated with AF and surgical treatment
- Foundational and contemporary peer-reviewed literature on the disease and treatment options
- Guidelines for AF Classification and reporting success
- Diagnosis and screening for AF in patients referred for structural heart procedures
- Co-morbidities associated with AF
- The impact of lesion set and energy source on outcomes
- Different approaches and considerations for concomitant and sole therapy procedures
- Decision making and surgical approaches to treatment
- Left atrial appendage (LAA) management and the concept of AF-related strokes arising from the LAA
- Postoperative care of patients including rhythm assessment
- Collaborating with cardiologists and electrophysiologists in AF treatment
Application and Selection Criteria
Essential criteria:
In order to apply for this fellowship, you must:
- Be an EACTS member with up-to-date membership payment
- Be in the last year of training or within the first four years after completing training (specialty degree)
- Be fluent in English
Desirable criteria:
- Previous experience in surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation
- Possibility of applying the knowledge and abilities acquired during the fellowship in home practice
- Academic experience in atrial fibrillation
The following documents must be provided as part of your application:
- Letter of support from current Head of Department/Training director (if in last year of training)
- Letter of interest (detailing the way in which you meet the application criteria, your career aspirations along with how you are in a position to apply the skills and knowledge obtained during the Fellowship in your own centre)
- CV
- Operative experience
Application guidance
Please ensure that all documents submitted are written in English, and that they are submitted either as word documents or PDF. We do not accept images or handwritten applications. We are unable to provide advice or guidance about visa applications, so please ensure that you understand the visa requirements before applying for this Fellowship.
Evaluation and feedback
There will be periodic meetings with the Fellowship Director to ensure feedback from the trainee. A structured evaluation of the activities and feedback from the Fellow will also be developed. At the end of the Fellowship, the Fellows will produce a full report on their experience based on the Francis Fontan Fund Committee guidelines.
