The Interventional Cardiology fellow is a fourth-year cardiology fellow who has completed an ACGME-accredited cardiovascular disease program. The Interventional Cardiology fellow acts as a senior fellow working with the Clinical Cardiology fellows under supervision of the attending interventional cardiologist assigned to the catheterization laboratory.
The Interventional Cardiology fellow, as part of the Interventional Cardiology team, will care for these patients in various settings as appropriate: the general cardiology clinic, operating room, interventional cardiology laboratory, cardiac catheterization laboratory, coronary care unit, intensive care unit, and the emergency department during the evaluation, treatment, and follow-up processes. In the context of this training, the Interventional Cardiology fellow will continue to gain extensive experience in associated specialized skills such as use of antiarrhythmic drugs, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, cardioversion and defibrillation, cannulation (arterial and venous), use of thrombolytic and antithrombolytic agents, use of vasoactive agents for epicardial and microvascular spasm, and advanced cardiac life support procedures.
This experience will be structured so that the Interventional Cardiology fellow will perform a minimum of at least 250 coronary interventional cardiology procedures.
These procedures will be completed during the rotation through the interventional cath lab either as the primary physician or as an assistant actively involved in collecting and analyzing the data. The Interventional Cardiology fellow will gain the necessary knowledge of the technology used in interventional cardiology (e.g. intravascular ultrasound, cannulation, catheters, stents, balloons, AngioJet™, and Rotoblator™) measuring and analyzing data and providing follow-up care to the patient.
The Interventional Cardiology fellow will act as a senior resident working with the second-year clinical Cardiology fellows rotating through the Interventional Cardiology service in their respective month. The Interventional Cardiology fellow is expected to see patients who present with need for interventional cardiology.
All consults must be presented to the Interventional Cardiology attending. It is expected that the Interventional Cardiology fellow would play an active role in organizing the presentation, formulating the thought and explaining the rationale for her or his given therapeutic approach, which would be discussed with the attending.
During rotation in the Interventional Cardiology lab, the Interventional Cardiology fellow will gain clinical experience in acquiring knowledge of the indications, contraindications. risks, and limitations of interventional cardiology. The Interventional Cardiology fellow will learn the basic skills needed to do coronary interventions.
In addition, the Interventional Cardiology fellow must learn the appropriate radiation safety levels, since it will be necessary for him or her to successfully pass a radiation safety examination in order to qualify as a fluoroscopic examination operator. All Interventional Cardiology fellows must pass the advanced cardiac life-support exam.
The Interventional Cardiology fellow is required to attend the cardiology clinic once a week. This experience provides the fellow training in performing outpatient consultations of patients who require interventional cardiology care as well as giving long-term follow-up treatment (pharmacologic or non-pharmacologic).
Clinical research is considered an integral component of achieving competence in interventional cardiology. This educational development would evolve from determining key questions to investigate, formulating significant hypothesis, designing significant, and well-organized research protocols (based on sound scientific methodologies and data analyses) for grant and IRB submission, as well as preparing the data for abstract and manuscript formulation, preparation, publication, and presentation. The Interventional Cardiology fellow will also be enrolling patients in the clinical trials, collaborating in research protocols, data analysis, and presentations. Support staff is available and includes staff (faculty, nursing, technical, and ancillary), space and equipment resources, computer resources (including database, networking and analyses), and library, statistical, editorial and computer consulting support staff.
Research Initiatives
2023
Heaney C, Knisel A, Vuthoori R, Golombeck D, Fernandez H, Lima B, Taylor J, Davidson K, Kennedy K, Nursey V, Miller E, Maybaum S. Subjective Assessment Underestimates Fraility in Patients With Heart Failure Referred for Advanced Therapies. ASAIO J. 2023 Jun 1;69(6):588-594. doi: 10.1097/MAT.0000000000001894. Epub 2023 Feb 20. PMID: 36804288.
2022
Dyer Pettijohn, Ciril Khorolsky, Riju Banerjee, Neil Yager, Radmila Lyubarova. Recurrent Multivessel Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection Associated With Hyperthyroidism Due To Excessive Thyroid Replacement Therapy. New York State ACC Young Investigators Awards Competition, 12/09/2022.
Oweis J, Leamon A, Al-Tarbsheh AH, Goodspeed K, Khorolsky C, Feustel P, Naseer U, Albaba I, Parimi SA, Shkolnik B, Tiwari A, Chopra A, Torosoff M. Influence of right ventricular structure and function on hospital outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Heart Lung. 2022 Aug 11;57:19-24. doi: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2022.08.007. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35987113; PMCID: PMC9365873.
Ehtesham M, Oweis J, Leamon A, Al-Tarbsheh A, Goodspeed K, Khorolsky C, Nasser U, Albaba I, Parimi A, Shkolnik B, Tiwari A, Chopra A, Torosoff M. Body Mass Index Is A Predictor Of Mortality And Adverse Cardiorespiratory Outcomes In Patients Hospitalized For SARS-COV-2 Infection. AHA QCOR 2022 May 2022.
Khorolsky C., Drzymalski K. Ventricular Electrical Storm Secondary to Kinking of Left Internal Mammary Artery Bypass Graft. ACC 71st Annual Scientific Session; Washington DC; April 2-4, 2022.
Conferences
The purposes of the cardiac catheterization conference are to
- Review and critique both diagnostic and interventional cases with respect to case selection, procedure conduct, and outcome. This conference is to review and discuss all adverse outcomes, which occur during the training program; and
- Present and discuss the cognitive interventional cardiology curriculum subject matter.
This conference is designed as a quality assurance as pertinent cases regarding deaths and serious complications are thoroughly discussed among peers. Each month one of the attending cardiologists acts as a narrator at the conference and can be contacted should a particular case be requested to be presented. Interventional Cardiology fellows should attend this conference as a learning experience.
A Journal Club conference will be designed to teach the Interventional Cardiology fellow how to read, interpret, and apply data from the appropriate articles in cardiology and interventional cardiology. The Journal Club will be established to sharpen the acumen of the Interventional Cardiology fellow in critically analyzing the methodology, results and data presented in selected articles in order to formulate the fellows interpretation of the strengths, weakness, as well as the clinical applications and implications of the given text.
These conferences are used to teach research methodology, including determining key questions to investigate, formulating significant hypothesis, and designing significant and well-organized research protocols (based on sound scientific methodologies and data analyses) for grand and IRB submission, as well as preparing the data for abstract and manuscript formulation, preparation, and publication, and presentation. Fellows will also work with the Albany Medical Center study coordinator to prepare the Case Report Forms (CRF) for the FDA and pharmaceutical sponsors.