Contemporary Cardiac Surgery

The field of cardiac surgery is still relatively new. With Stephen Paget stating in 1912 that "Surgery of the heart has probably reached the limit imposed by nature to all surgery; no new procedure and no discovery can solve the natural difficulties that attend a wound of the heart," surgeons were fascinated by surgery on the vital organ.

In the 1950s, Minnesota saw the first successful atrial septal defect closure, and John Gibbon's oxygenator made it possible to undertake more intricate open-heart procedures. Michael Debarked conducted the first successful coronary artery bypass graft in 1964, and Christian Barnard carried out the first heart transplant in South Africa in 1967.

Cardiac surgery has evolved greatly from these early, but relatively recent, days. The cardiopulmonary bypass has been improved, making it much safer than in the past, and valve prostheses are now more reliable and long-lasting than before. With outstanding results, cardiac surgeons are executing ever-more sophisticated operations on sick and more complicated patients. Transcatheter valve technology, minimally invasive surgery, and reliable ventricular assist devices are only a few of the technological advancements that have occurred in the most recent decades.

Cardiac surgery is evolving as a specialty; thus, it is up to surgeons to stay informed about the most recent advancements and what they can mean for their practice in the present and the future. The training of cardiothoracic surgeons and the distribution of resources within the healthcare system are both affected by these changes.