Heterogeneity Among Countries in the Subspecialty of Cardiovascular Anesthesia in Latin America: Survey Results

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: To evaluate demographics, workload, training, facilities, and equipment in cardiovascular anesthesia (CVA) in Latin America (LA).

Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study with data collected through a survey.

Setting: A multicenter, international web-based questionnaire that included 37 multiple-choice questions.

Participants: Physicians and specialists in anesthesiology who regularly participated in cardiovascular surgeries and were members of the scientific societies of the Latin American Confederation of Anesthesiology.

Interventions: None MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 484 completed questionnaires were collected. A total of 97.8% of the respondents had a university degree in anesthesiology. Most did not receive formal training in CVA, and only 41.5% received formal training. Moreover, most of them were trained in their own country, and a smaller percentage were trained abroad. Half of the respondents reported receiving <12 months of training. A third part of the respondents had received training in transesophageal echocardiography. Only 5.8% of the respondents worked exclusively in CVA, and a high percentage dedicated <60% of their weekly work hours to this subspecialty. A total of 80.6% of the centers had <3 cardiac surgery operating rooms. Only one-third of the centers performed heart/lung transplantation, venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and ventricular assist device implantation.

Conclusions: A significant lack of training programs in anesthesiology practice and complex procedures in medical centers in LA are evident. Thus, basic accredited programs should be developed in medical centers in LA.