Cardiothoracic surgery
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Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Cardiothoracic surgeons perform an operation. |
| Occupation |
| Names |
Doctor, Medical Specialist |
| Activity sectors |
Surgery |
| Description |
| Education required |
MD or MBBS or DO (US) |
Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax (the chest)—generally treatment of conditions of the heart (heart disease) and lungs (lung disease).
[edit] Cardiac / Thoracic
Cardiac surgery (involving the heart and great vessels) and thoracic surgery (involving the lungs and any other thoracic organ) are separate surgical specialties, except in the USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand where they are frequently grouped together, so that a surgeon training in the cardiothoracic specialty will receive a broader experience in both fields before they develop their special interest in certain parts of the speciality.
One of the more commonly known cardiac surgery procedures is the coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), also known as "bypass surgery." In this procedure, vessels from elsewhere in the patient's body are most commonly harvested using a procedure known as EVH, and grafted to the coronary arteries to bypass blockages and improve the blood supply to the heart muscle.
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