Cardiothoracic surgery
Cardiothoracic surgery is the specialty that treats diseases of the heart, lungs, esophagus, and other chest organs through operations.
Coronary artery bypass surgery: An operation that routes blood around narrowed or blocked coronary arteries using graft vessels. It restores blood flow to heart muscle without relying on the obstructed artery.
Median sternotomy: A surgical approach that opens the chest by dividing the breastbone along its midline. It provides broad access to the heart and major vessels in many open operations.
Thoracic cavity: The body cavity enclosed by the ribs and diaphragm, containing the heart, lungs, and other organs. Its organs define the anatomical territory treated by the specialty.
Vascular surgery: The surgical specialty treating diseases of arteries, veins, and lymphatic vessels outside the heart. It overlaps in major-vessel care but has a distinct scope and training pathway.
Heart valve repair: Surgery that restores the function of a heart valve while preserving the patient's own valve tissue. Repair is a central option when a chest operation must correct valve disease.
Cardiopulmonary bypass: A technique that temporarily diverts blood through a machine for oxygenation and circulation during surgery. It allows some heart operations to proceed while the heart is stopped or opened.
Mediastinum: The central compartment of the chest between the lungs, containing the heart, major vessels, trachea, and esophagus. Operations here involve tightly grouped structures shared across cardiac and thoracic practice.
General surgery: A surgical specialty focused on abdominal organs, soft tissues, and a broad range of emergency conditions. Its usual operative territory differs from the heart and chest focus of cardiothoracic surgery.
Lung resection: Surgery that removes part or all of a lung, often to treat cancer or severe lung disease. Removing diseased lung tissue is a major thoracic surgical application.
Off-pump coronary artery bypass: Coronary bypass surgery performed on a beating heart without cardiopulmonary bypass. It shows that selected heart operations can avoid the heart-lung machine.