Outpatient Clinics

The clinic provides timely response for the assessment and management of people with a wide range of cardiothoracic problems

Availability

North South North West Statewide

Scope

The Tasmanian Cardiothoracic Surgical unit is the tertiary referral unit for the Tasmanian population to provide a wide range of adult cardiothoracic surgical services.

The clinic provides timely response for the:

• Assessment and management of people with a wide range of cardiothoracic problems
• Provision of preoperative workup, operative facility, postoperative management
• Cardiac rehabilitation services including nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dietician, cardiology and Cardiothoracic surgery follow up
• Long term record keeping and registry records

There is an array of surgical procedures provided by the unit as mentioned separately in the conditions section below. The scope of practice involves:

• Adult cardiac surgery: CABG, valve repairs and replacements, aortic aneurysms, dissections and other complications, cardiac tumours, pericardial procedures. We can offer minimally invasive incisions, off pump surgery, maze procedures, all sorts of redo procedures. All patients except those needing transplantation/ventricular assist device or those paediatric patients needing heart surgery.
• A wide range of procedures including pacemaker, defibrillator, loop recorders, CRT devices; implantation, explantation and generator box changes are performed.
• Thoracic problems: a wide variety of thoracic surgery procedures including surgery for lung cancer, empyema, mediastinal tumours, thymic problems including myasthenia gravis, both open and VATS approach.
• Chest wall procedures: pectus excavatum, fractured ribs, diaphgragmatic eventrations
• Adult congenital procedures: ASD, VSD, patent ductus, coarctations, redo surgeries for Tetralogy of Fallot are all performed.
• Miscellaneous procedures: VATS sympathectomy, pericardial window, mediastinoscopy, cervical rib excision, sternal rewiring/plastic procedures, VATS biopsies, pleurodesis etc.

Emergency conditions

• Please report to the Emergency Department of the RHH in case of emergency. The surgeons work on a 1:2 rota to provide 24 x 7 cover.
• The cardiothoracic surgical registrar could be contacted through RHH switch (03) 6166 8308.

Referral process

A referral (preferably faxed) is required for all new appointments and must conform to the Referral Standards as outlined on For Clinicians.

Specific requirements are detailed in the individual clinic and condition referral guidelines.

Please fax referral for RHH clinic to (03) 6231 3055.

Referral template

For use by health professionals only

• Referral template - Medical Director
• Referral template - Best Practice

Additional information

www.heartfoundation.org.au

www.cancer.org.au

Primary conditions treated include:

• Adult congenital heart disease
• Aortic diseases including dissections, aneurysms etc
• Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease
• Cardiac tumours
• Cervical rib
• Chest trauma
• Chest wall deformities
• Degenerative valvular heart disease
• Disease associated with syndromes e.g. Marfan's, bicuspid aortic valves
• Electrophysiological problems needing pacemaker, defibrillator etc
• Heart failure
• Hyperhidrosis
• Mediastinal tumours
• Myasthenia gravis related thymic surgery
• Pericardial diseases
• Pleural/lung infections and complications
• Pleural/pericardial effusions
• Rheumatic valvular heart disease
• Thoracic malignancies

For more information please see the Tasmanian Health Pathways website.