454. ACHD Surgery 101: Thinking Like a Surgeon with Elizabeth Stephens

About this episode

The episode discusses the fundamentals of adult congenital heart disease surgery with insights from Dr. Elizabeth Stephens.

CardioNerds ( Drs. Rawan Amir , Tripti Gupta , and Alysha Joseph ) discuss the fundamentals of adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) surgery with Dr. Elizabeth Stephens .  Audio editing by CardioNerds academy intern, Grace Qiu .  Using a case of a young adult undergoing a Ross procedure, the episode walks through what happens in the operating room—from induction and intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), myocardial protection, and surgical repair. The discussion highlights key concepts including cardioplegia, cross-clamp and bypass times, hypothermic circulatory arrest, and the complexity of redo sternotomy. This episode provides learners with a practical framework to interpret operative reports, anticipate postoperative physiology, and better collaborate with surgical teams. This episode was produced by the CardioNerds ACHD Council and planned by Dr. Rawan Amir .  CardioNerds Adult Congenital Heart Disease Page CardioNerds Episode Page Pearls “LV distension kills patients.” Preventing left ventricular distension with appropriate venting and awareness of aortic insufficiency is critical to intraoperative safety.&#160…

People in this episode

Hosts: Rawan Amir, Tripti Gupta, Alysha Joseph

Guest: Elizabeth Stephens

Topics covered

• adult congenital heart disease
• surgery
• operating room procedures
• cardiopulmonary bypass
• myocardial protection
• surgical repair

Keywords

• ACHD surgery
• Ross procedure
• transesophageal echocardiography
• cardioplegia
• cross-clamp time
• bypass time
• postoperative complications

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