Former CT Surgery chief returns to UK to discuss next generation surgical technology
One of the leading advocates for technological innovations in cardiothoracic surgery was a special guest speaker with the University of Kentucky Department of Surgery last week.
Dr. W. Randolph Chitwood, founder and director of the East Carolina Heart Institute (ECHI), was featured speaker for the weekly surgical grand rounds on Wednesday, April 6. His presentation, “Innovative Technology in Cardiac Surgery: The times they are a’changing” was an overview of next generation technology in the world of cardiac surgery.
It was a homecoming of sorts for Dr. Chitwood. He was chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Kentucky for two years in the late 1980s. Aside from his brief term at UK, Chitwood has spent the rest of his academic medical career at the East Carolina University School of Medicine.
Following completion of his residency at Duke University, Chitwood was hired to begin and chair the East Carolina cardiac surgery program. In 2003, he was charged with the development of ECHI, a specialty hospital and research center devoted to the treatment and study of cardiothoracic disease. It was one of the first medical facilities to pioneer the use of surgical robotics and Chitwood himself was the first surgeon to perform a robotic mitral valve operation.
In 2015, Chitwood became a professor emeritus at ECHI and is now serves as a consultant on dcurrent innovations and valve technologies. It was in this professional capacity that he addressed UK residents in early April.
Revisiting colleagues at the UK campus, Dr. Chitwood spent time Tuesday afternoon with residents, fellows, and faculty in CT surgery for three case presentations which gave him further opportunity to discuss where new technology could be applied.
After his grand rounds presentation, Chitwood met with Dr. Vincent Sorrell, chief of Cardiovascular Imaging, and Dr. Joseph Zwischenberger, Department of Surgery Chair.
“It was instructive to learn where the future of CT Surgery is headed,” commented Dr. Sibu Saha, the current chief of CT Surgery. “Of course, the main take away from the presentation is that no technology is static. What seems like next generation will always be replaced. It never ends.”
