We will comment on items of interest involving cardiothoracic surgery here.

Cardiac surgery by its very nature tends to be a dramatic and exciting field, but this appears to be a particularly exciting time in cardiac surgery. On the one hand we are seeing the introduction of exciting new techniques that allow cardiac surgery to be done in selected cases with much less trauma to the patient. That includes minimally invasive coronary artery bypass surgery (MIDCAB =Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass), and less invasive techniques of valve surgery. Modern computer and video technology is beginning to rewrite the rules for cardiac surgery. All of these developments are still in a tentative stage and their safety and efficacy remains to be clarified - but their seems little doubt we are moving into an era of simpler and easier cardiac surgery from the patient's perspective.

On the other hand, cardiac surgery is under very direct attack by the government, and it is very likely that access to cardiac surgery will be eliminated or drastically reduced over the next two or three years if current proposals go through as planned.

Cardiac Surgery in particular seems to be a victim of the old Chinese curse:" may you live in interesting times."

Last modified: May 08, 2003