If the basic requirements cannot be met in this way, then a one year fellowship program that allows the trainee to meet these requirements will be necessary. During the course of cardiothoracic training, basic laboratory research is strongly encouraged. This can be done preceding the fellowship or as part of their training. It is essential for trainees to learn the management of end-stage organ disease and the specific indications and contraindication for organ transplantation. It is also important for the trainee to gain understanding of the function of the histocompatibility laboratory with respect to cross-matching techniques, PRA testing, and tissue typing.
Actual time spent in the histocompatibility laboratory is considered desirable.
It is essential that the trainee also have an intimate acquaintance with the laboratory and radiologic procedures used in the diagnosis of rejection, infection, and other problems. The trainee should also gain familiarity with the pathology of rejection, infection and other problems. The fellow must also gain experience in the workshop of living donors and in the procurement and preservation of organs obtained from cadaver donors. Finally, opportunities for participation in basic science research or clinical research is strongly encouraged. The cardiothoracic trainee must be provided an opportunity and participate in all aspects of the transplant patient's care, including pre and post operative evaluation, and have a current working knowledge of all aspects of thoracic organ transplantation.