Background

Many cardiothoracic surgeons supplement their case volume through the performance of vascular surgical procedures. Information regarding this practice is not well defined.

Methods

In January of 2013, a survey was conducted of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) membership to assess the performance of vascular operations by cardiothoracic surgeons.

Results

The overall response rate was 8.7%. Of the surgeons practicing vascular surgery, 60% were aged 45 to 64 years and 92% were male. Eleven percent of surgeons are board certified in vascular surgery, and 61% have been practicing 16 or more years, with 33% practicing in the southern United States. Twenty-two percent of surgeons stated that at least 30% of their practice was devoted to vascular surgery. Eighty-one percent of respondents would like to see vascular surgery training become part of the formal curriculum for cardiothoracic surgery education, and 90% said that cardiothoracic surgery education should offer a cardiovascular track with emphasis on thoracic and vascular surgery, including endovascular surgery.

Conclusions

This survey provides expanded data on the performance and breadth of practice of vascular surgery by the STS membership.