The aim of this course is to provide the student with knowledge of the pathological processes affecting the heart and large vessels and the related surgical treatments, both in regard of indications and from a technical point of view. As a premise to this, the functioning of the heart-lung machine, an indispensable device for carrying out cardiac surgery, will be presented to the student. Specifically, the student will have to acquire knowledge of the surgical treatment of the main congenital heart diseases, adult cardiac pathologies and of the surgical therapy of heart failure using mechanical circulatory devices or cardiac replacement therapy. An integral part of the course is also the treatment of the only form of pulmonary arterial hypertension that can be treated surgically, the chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.
Course Prerequisites
Fluency in English and Knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the cardiovascular system
Teaching Methods
Lectures with use of audiovisuals
Assessment Methods
Oral examination. Grading scale 0-30. The student will take the cardiology, cardiac surgery and vascular surgery modules in the same exam session. The grade will correspond to the average of the 3 interviews taking into account each module's CFU.
Texts
None. Excerpts from the lectures will be made available
Contents
The extracorporeal circulation or heart-lung machine: what it is and what its roles in cardiac surgery; Surgical therapy of the main congenital heart diseases (cardiac septal defects, patent ductus arteriosus, aortic coarctation, tetralogy of Fallot and transposition of the great vessels); Surgical treatment of ischemic heart disease and mechanical complications of myocardial infarction; Surgical treatment of aortic valve disease and thoracic aortic aneurysms; Surgical treatment of mitral valve disease; Heart transplant; Surgical therapy of acute and chronic heart failure using mechanical circulatory supports; Surgical therapy of chronic post-embolic pulmonary arterial hypertension: pulmonary endarterectomy.
