Residents from across the U.S. attend Cardiothoracic Surgery Boot Camp

The Thoracic Surgery Directors Association (TSDA) hosted its fourth annual Cardiothoracic Surgery Boot Camp, July 14-17, 2011, at UNC's Friday Center in Chapel Hill. First-year residents from 24 cardiothoracic surgery residency programs attended the camp to learn surgical techniques and get extensive hands-on practice.

The camp uses life-like simulators for surgical procedures. This year, procedures included cardiopulmonary bypass, aortic valve repair, anastomosis, lung ventilation, and lobectomy. Three UNC cardiothoracic surgeons - Richard Feins, M.D., Andy Kiser, M.D., and Nirmal Veeramachaneni, M.D., were among the faculty members. Read more here.