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Surgical Critical Care ACGME case minimums

Fellows in Surgical Critical Care have a published ACGME minimum in all 18 case categories, and the largest single minimum is 200. Each row below cites the ACGME requirement it was read from.

By Chris, CA-1, anesthesiology

Surgical Critical Care minimums by category

Surgical Critical Care: ACGME required minimums by category
CategoryPatients managed
Advanced Mechanical Ventilation — Advanced ventilator management of patients with respiratory failure (mechanical ventilation >48 hours)35
Shock — Management and resuscitation of patients with all types of shock, including performance of invasive and non-invasive monitoring techniques and the use of vasoactive agents25
Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy — Comprehensive management of patients with acute kidney injury, including use of renal replacement therapies; management of hemodialysis; management of electrolyte disorders and acid-base disturbances; and application of knowledge of the indications for and complications of hemodialysis5
Dysrhythmias — Diagnosis and interpretation of patients with dysrhythmias and complex cardiac disorders, including application of trans-esophageal and transthoracic cardiac ultrasound and transvenous pacemakers, and the management of cardiac assist devices10
Neurologic Disorders — Preventive management, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with coma, delirium, and other neurologic disorders; evaluation and non-operative management of severe traumatic brain injury and intracranial hypertension, including management of intracranial pressure and acute neurologic emergencies10
Hepatic Failure — Diagnosis and management of patients with acute and chronic hepatic failure, including management of ascites, assessment of coagulation status, and use of component therapy; and identification of appropriate candidates for orthotopic liver transplantation5
Non-Invasive Cardiac Output Monitoring — Diagnosis and treatment of complex cardiac disorders, including application of trans-esophageal and transthoracic cardiac ultrasound, and application and interpretation of non-invasive cardiac output monitoring10
Nutrition — Nutritional care of critically ill and injured patients, including use of enteral and parenteral nutrition20
Gastrointestinal (GI) Disorders — Comprehensive management of patients with acute GI disorders (such as C. difficile colitis, GI bleeding, intestinal ischemia, intestinal fistulae, post-operative complications, pancreatitis), including utilization of gastrointestinal endoscopic techniques15
Infection — Comprehensive management of patients with infectious diseases and infectious complications, including application of isolation techniques, pharmacokinetics, drug interactions, and management of antibiotic therapy; diagnosis and management of nosocomial infections; and management of sepsis and septic shock25
Miscellaneous Procedures — Performance and supervision of intensive care unit procedures, including central venous catheter placement, tube thoracostomy, thoracentesis, paracentesis, diagnostic peritoneal lavage, fasciotomy, escharotomy, and proficiency in management of procedural complications25
Injury — Comprehensive management of severely injured patients with complex comorbidities20
Endocrine Disorders — Comprehensive management of patients with acute endocrine disorders, including those of the pancreas, thyroid, adrenal glands, and pituitary glands10
Organ Failure — Comprehensive management of patients with multiple organ failure15
End-of-Life Care — End-of-life care, including declaration of brain death, palliative care, and withdrawal of support10
Summary — Total critical care patients managed200

Surgical Critical Care · ACGME specialty 442.

Capnolog counts these live for anesthesiology and neurological surgery; other specialties are reference only.

What counts toward a minimum?

  • Fellows log cases into categories the ACGME defines, not by procedure code.
  • Every number is a count in one column, “Patients managed”.
  • 2 rows are drawn from a larger row: those cases count toward that row too, never on top of it.
  • The Review Committee for Surgery sets these requirements.

Where do these numbers come from?

Capnolog is independent of the ACGME. Where a number here and the ACGME's own document disagree, the document is right.

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