Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine

Medicine

Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....

 involved in surgical

Surgery

Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...

 treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax

Thorax

The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.-In tetrapods:...

 (the chest)—generally treatment of conditions of the heart

Heart

The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...

 (heart disease

Heart disease

Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...

) and lung

Lung

The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...

s (lung disease

Pulmonology

In medicine, pulmonology is the specialty that deals with diseases of the respiratory tract and respiratory disease. It is called chest medicine and respiratory medicine in some countries and areas...

).

Cardiac / Thoracic

Cardiac surgery

Cardiac surgery

Cardiovascular surgery is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. Frequently, it is done to treat complications of ischemic heart disease , correct congenital heart disease, or treat valvular heart disease from various causes including endocarditis, rheumatic heart...

 (involving the heart

Heart

The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...

 and great vessels

Great vessels

Great vessels is a term used to refer collectively to the four large vessels that bring blood to and from the heart. These are:*Superior vena cava*Inferior vena cava*Pulmonary artery*AortaAll four pulmonary veins are considered apart of the great vessels...

) and thoracic surgery

Thoracic surgery

Thoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in the surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax . Generally treatment of conditions of the lungs, chest wall, and diaphragm....

 (involving the lungs and any other thoracic organ) are separate surgical specialties, except in the USA, the UK, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 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)

Coronary artery bypass surgery

Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure performed to relieve angina and reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease...

, 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

Endoscopic vessel harvesting

Endoscopic vessel harvesting is a surgical technique that may be used in conjunction with coronary artery bypass surgery . For patients with coronary artery disease, a physician may recommend a bypass to reroute blood around blocked arteries to restore and improve blood flow and oxygen to the heart...

, and grafted to the coronary arteries to bypass blockages and improve the blood supply to the heart muscle.

See also

• Cardiac surgery
  Cardiac surgery
  Cardiovascular surgery is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. Frequently, it is done to treat complications of ischemic heart disease , correct congenital heart disease, or treat valvular heart disease from various causes including endocarditis, rheumatic heart...
  
  
• Thoracic surgery
  Thoracic surgery
  Thoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in the surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax . Generally treatment of conditions of the lungs, chest wall, and diaphragm....
  
  
• Cardiothoracic Surgery Network
  Cardiothoracic Surgery Network
  The Cardiothoracic Surgery Network is a worldwide organization with a mandate to be a source of educational and scientific research information for cardiothoracic surgeons. The mission of CTSNet is to advance education and collaboration in the global cardiothoracic surgical community through...
  
  
• Surgeons
• Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery
  Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery
  The Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery is an open access, peer-reviewed online journal that encompasses all aspects of research in cardiothoracic surgery....
  
  

External links

• The Cardiothoracic Surgery Network
• The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
• American Association for Thoracic Surgery
• International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery