PROFESSIONCardiac surgeon shortage likely if low residency trend continuesHeart specialists are asking who will treat tomorrow's heart problems.By Damon Adams, amednews staff. Aug. 26, 2002. A new study done by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons shows that the number of physicians entering training to become heart surgeons is too low to replace the surgeons who will retire by 2010. That shortage worries Kevin Accola, MD, and other cardiac surgeons, because the number of people older than 60 expected to need heart surgery will increase by 13 million in 10 years. "There are less and less people going into cardiac surgical training. It's creating a problem that will take many years to undo," said Dr. Accola, an Orlando, Fla.-based thoracic surgeon and chair of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons' work force on health policy, practice and reform, which released the study in August. The society analyzed data from the National Resident Matching Program, which places medical school graduates. The study found that the number of cardiothoracic surgical training positions has remained steady in the last 10 years, at roughly 140. But applicants for those positions have dropped from 197 in 1995 to 145 in 2002, with U.S. medical school graduates interested in the residencies declining from 156 to 107 during that period. Data showed that 21 of 144 positions available for cardiothoracic surgery have not been filled in residency programs that start in 2003. "It used to be we had several applicants for one position. Now it's one for one," said Douglas Behrendt, MD, chair of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City. The problem is magnified, the study said, because a significant number of cardiothoracic surgeons will retire by 2010. The thoracic society estimates that 50% of surgeons will retire by that year.
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Copyright 2002 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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