Transfusion Therapy and Blood Conservation
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Concurrent with the development of cardiac surgery in the 1950s as a means of correcting congenital heart defects came the need for large-volume blood transfusions. In…
Preoperative Evaluation for Cardiac Surgery
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Advances in surgical techniques and improved patient outcomes have enabled the application of cardiac surgery in patient populations previously considered ineligible for an intervention of this…
Risk Assessment and Performance Improvement in Cardiac Surgery
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Assessing risk to improve outcomes is not a new principle. Formal assessment of patient care to improve outcomes dates back millennia. While it may be hard…
The Integrated Cardiovascular Center
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Cardiovascular care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease includes pathology of the heart and the peripheral vasculature. It remains the number…
Surgical Anatomy of the Heart
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen A thorough knowledge of the anatomy of the heart is a prerequisite for the successful completion of the myriad procedures performed by the cardiothoracic surgeon. This…
Cardiac Surgical Physiology
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen A cardiac surgical procedure is the most acute application of basic dynamic physiology that exists in medical care. Basic physiologic concepts of electromechanical activation and association,…
Cardiac Surgical Pharmacology
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Clinical pharmacology associated with cardiac surgery is an important part of patient management. Patients in the perioperative period receive multiple therapeutic agents that affect cardiovascular and…
History of Cardiac Surgery
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen The development of major surgery was retarded for centuries by a lack of knowledge and technology. Significantly, the general anesthetics ether and chloroform were not developed…
