A Word from the Program Director

The accredited two-year Cardiothoracic Surgery program at the University of Oklahoma accepts one candidate per year. Our residency program has remained filled since 1960.  Our program is now accepting applications entirely through ERAS - the Electronic Residency Application System. You must apply through ERAS to be considered.  Applications may be submitted beginning in November for a position beginning in July of the following year.  University of Oklahoma Cardiothoracic Surgery Program Number is 4603921078.

Following the application and interview process, the position will be offered through the specialty matching services of National Resident Matching Program.

Our center currently has an opening for our residency program beginning July 2008.  If you would like further details, please contact Crystal-Taylor@ouhsc.edu or at the numbers listed below.

Individuals considering a position in the Cardiothoracic Surgery residency program of the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and its affiliated hospitals will find basic information on the following pages useful to assess our residency training program. Those seriously interested in more information are encouraged to visit the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Any questions or comments can be E-mailed to Thoracic-Surgery@ouhsc.edu or contact:

.

Marvin D. Peyton, M.D.

Professor and Section Chief
Residency Program Director
Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery
University of Oklahoma
P.O. Box 26901 WP 2230
Oklahoma City, OK 73190
(405) 271-5789
FAX: (405) 271-3288

The Section of  Cardiothoracic Surgery

Dr. Marvin D. Peyton is the Section Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery. He is joined by the other faculty members Timothy H. Trotter, M.D., Peter Pastuszko, M.D. and Marco A. Paliotta, M.D. to provide the skills and knowledge necessary to manage the patients in cardiac and thoracic surgery. The program focuses on a wide spectrum of surgical procedures including repair of congenital heart defects, cardiac and pulmonary resections, esophageal surgeries, valve replacements, and coronary artery bypass operations.   Additionally, the Cardiothoracic program is participating in  protocol care of pulmonary and esophageal neoplasms in conjuction with OU Medicine's Gastroenterology and Pulmonary Medicine faculty.  Endovascular repair of aortic disease and compromise is active with devotion to evolving techniques for valve repair or replacement.

Dr. Peyton's clinical interests are varied including cardiac and non

cardiac procedures in adults.   He is the first surgeon in Oklahoma

to use

radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation. 

Our program is also involved with the vascular surgery team's endostenting procedures for aortic disease with attention to thoracic trauma and thoracoabdominal aortic disease.   Dr. Trotter's interests reflect his practice at the VA Hospital and heart problems in adults. In addition to his duties as a pediatric cardiothoracic and cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Pastuszko also runs a hyperhidrosis treatment program for the department. Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy (ETS), the technique used by Dr. Pastuszko is a cutting edge procedure for permanent correction of  hyperhidrosis.   Dr. Paliotta who joined the faculty in July 2007 is currently developing a program to provide patients with deteriorating hearts an improved quality of life with the use of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) which acts as a bridge to a heart transplant.

The residents are responsible for pre and postoperative patient care, as well as participating in weekly cardiothoracic surgery conferences. Medical students, general surgery residents, and cardiothoracic fellows all benefit from the cases reviewed, the technical approaches discussed and problems examined during conferences, patient rounds, and in the operating room.

The Section continues the strong commitment to high quality education with a two year cardiothoracic surgery fellowship. The two-year Cardiothoracic Surgery program accepts one applicant per year. The prerequisite for this program is a five-year general surgery residency and board eligibility. Residents may apply for the residency through the Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS).

The Residency
The educational goal of the Cardiothoracic Surgical Residency Program at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center is to provide the optimal environment for a resident to complete the consecutive two-year curriculum, acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary to become a skilled, safe and competent cardiothoracic surgeon.

        Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Goals & Objectives          

        Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Handbook

Program Design
The program is established so that during the first twelve months, the focus is

the management of adult cardiac surgery, adult pulmonary and esophageal disease. During this time the resident will work with all members of the faculty but will have

one primary attending who will operate with the resident on a daily basis, round on a regular basis with the resident and be available in the clinic for consultation for

all ambulatory care. This allows the resident to mature in a step-wise fashion and ensures close immediate supervision at the start of the program. As the

resident progresses through the program, more senior responsibility for patient selection and management will be afforded. During the second year, together with

full-time faculty the resident will perform a wide variety of complex adult cardiac and non-cardiac thoracic procedures and participates in the management of these

patients. The resident will have senior administrative and clinical responsibilities and will consult with senior Cardiology fellows on a daily basis about patient management.

Patient Care
The residents in cardiothoracic surgery are responsible for the preoperative evaluation, and participate in the operative care and the postoperative care of all patients on their service. During this time the residents will be working on a daily basis with the members of the cardiothoracic surgery faculty. The guidance provided by the faculty will be dependent upon the level of experience of the resident, the complexity of the patient's medical problem and the technical difficulty involved in the surgical management of the patient. It is a policy of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Section that all patients must be reviewed with an attending faculty member prior to scheduling surgery and that all patients admitted to the service must be reviewed with an attending within 24 hours of the admission to the hospital so that the attending may review the initial work-up, the evaluation and assist in the planning of this patient's evaluation and assessment.

Operative Experience and Rotation Schedule

Training Year 1

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

VAMC

Presbyterian

Women's and Newborn

Training Year 2

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

VAMC

Presbyterian

Women's and Newborn

Each resident keeps a detailed record of his personal operative experience, using the CTSNET computerized Surgical Operative Log.


Hospital and Academic Facilities


The Oklahoma Health Sciences Center is a 200-acre campus, located one mile south of the state capitol in Oklahoma City.

Located within the Center are the Colleges of Medicine, Dentistry, Allied Health, Public Health, Nursing, Pharmacy, the Graduate College, the Robert M. Bird Library, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Dean McGee Eye Institute, Department of Health, Oklahoma Blood Institute and the Medical Examiner's office.

OU Medical Center
Women's and Newborn Tower and Presbyterian Tower are collectively referred to as OU Medical Center and are part of the HCA Health Care System. There is a 10 member board which oversees the coordination of the hospitals and College of Medicine activities. The hospitals participating in teaching and research activities are ensured in a document called the Academic Affiliation Agreement (AAA).

Women's and Newborn Pavilion

The Women's and Newborn Pavilion serves as a referral center for the entire region and is the only comprehensive children's hospital in the state. Each of the surgical disciplines is responsible for a service at the Women's and Newborn Pavilion. The Cardiothoracic Pediatric Surgical Service is responsible for a majority of the complicated pediatric surgical care in the state.  The hospital serves as a regional center for pediatric cardiac care by cardiology and cardiac surgery.  Extensive cardiac reconstruction of congenital defects is accomplished by our surgeons with conference review and active participation by the cardiology staff.

Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC)   
This hospital was constructed in 1953 and was one of the first veterans hospitals to be located within a university medical center. The building has undergone almost continuous renovation. An entirely new operating room suite with recovery rooms, intensive care units, and inpatient and outpatient facilities was opened in 1994, with all surgical service activities located on one contiguous floor. The hospital is physically connected to other units of the complex by an overhead walkway. With 184 acute care beds, the hospital serves as a major teaching acility of the University. The administrative relationships between the University and the Oklahoma City Veterans Administration Medical Center have traditionally allowed the closest cooperation between the educational programs and the hospital. Members of the surgical faculty who have administrative assignments at the VAMC are also active at other campus hospitals. A portion of the research activities of the Department of Surgery is carried out in the research laboratory at VAMC. During 2001-2002, there were 612 admissions to the General Surgery Services and 860 operations performed.

Presbyterian Tower

This well established community hospital moved into its new facility on the Health Sciences Center campus in 1974. This hospital is affiliated with HCA Health Care Corporation. Presbyterian Tower offers a full range of clinical services. Many programs are conducted in conjunction with education or research programs of the University. Presbyterian currently has 365 acute care beds open, with some capacity for increasing this number.  The hospital houses the state's only Level I Trauma Center with expanded ICU facilities and state of the art radiology imaging.  During 2006, there were 396 cardiothoracic surgical procedures performed.


Conferences
Each week several conferences, journal club and Surgery Grand Rounds are held to augment the educational aspects of the surgery program. Topics selected by residents and faculty are addressed in the conferences. The weekly schedule is outlined below.

There are numerous other conferences which can be attended on occasion or in the case of special interest in the Department of Surgery or on campus.

Salary and Benefits

The annual salary scale beginning July, 2008 is as follows:

	PGY Level VI		$52,594
	PGY Level VII		$54,214

Health insurance is provided for Cardiothoracic Surgery residents. Professional liability insurance is paid for by the Department of Surgery.

The current vacation period is three weeks per year.

Expenses will be paid for travel to meetings where the resident is making a presentation. Each chief resident attends a national surgical meeting of his/her choice at departmental expense.

There is no university housing. Residents and their families live in a variety of neighborhoods throughout Oklahoma City.

About Oklahoma City

The home of the Health Sciences Center is Oklahoma City, the State Capital of Oklahoma and a metroplex of over one million in the heart of the nation. It offers a comfortable lifestyle with access to civic, cultural, entertainment, and recreational activities to meet almost anyone's needs.

Oklahoma City enjoys an accomplished philharmonic orchestra and ballet, chamber groups, and repertory companies, and serves as host to many of Broadway's touring presentations. Oklahoma City is the home of the world renowned National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center. Our Oklahoma City Zoo is among the ten best in the nation, and presents its fine collection in surroundings which are designed to replicate a natural habitat. The spring Arts Festival is a popular annual event held near our downtown Myriad Gardens, and Opening Night heralds the start of each new year with family-oriented activities and entertainment in a well-coordinated downtown celebration.

Minor league professional sports are popular, particularly our Oklahoma Redhawks baseball team, which has its exceptional new home in the Bricktown Ballpark, and the Oklahoma City Blazers hockey team. Another new addition to our Bricktown District is a water canal with a river walk.  Oklahoma City was the temporary home of the NBA Hornets basketball team and is being considered as a future home for a NBA team.  Collegiate athletics are well represented by the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys. Remington Park presents high quality horse racing. Oklahoma City offers fine quiet residential areas with access to quality schools, churches, and shopping areas. Public parks and golf courses are abundant and accessible, and our many regional lakes are popular among those who enjoy water sports. Weather presents the entire spectrum of seasons, but our winters typically are rather mild.

For additional information about Oklahoma City, see:   Oklahoma City links

Application Process

Our program is now accepting applications entirely through ERAS - the Electronic Residency Application System. You must apply through ERAS to be considered.  Applications may be submitted beginning in November for a position beginning the following Jul.  University of Oklahoma Cardiothoracic Surgery Program Number is 4603921078.

Following the application and interview process, the position will be offered through the specialty matching services of National Resident Matching Program.

For maps and directions, see:  Maps and Directions

Our Graduates

An important consideration for many applying to a residency program is the opportunities available upon completion. In fact, one the best markers of a residency program is the success of its graduates.   Here is a list of our graduates and case volume for previous graduates.  Our past three graduating residents are employed as clinical surgeons in Wichita, Kansas (click), Terre Haute, Indiana and Oklahoma City, OK . 


Contact Information for Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Program

Marvin D. Peyton, M.D.

Residency Program Director
Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery
University of Oklahoma
P.O. Box 26901 WP 2230
Oklahoma City, OK 73190
Phone (405) 271-5789 Fax (405) 271-3288
E-Mail: Thoracic-Surgery@ouhsc.edu