Cardiothoracic Surgery is the specialty of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, evaluation and surgical management of diseases of the heart, lungs oesophagus and chest. Cardiothoracic surgeons undertake surgical treatment of a wide range of serious conditions, and cardiothoracic operations tend to be major and often complex procedures.

Many of these operations require support from advanced forms of technology, such as cardiopulmonary bypass, invasive monitoring and minimally invasive equipment.  Because of the serious nature of the conditions and the scale of the operations, many cardiothoracic patients require care on the intensive therapy unit, and
cardiothoracic surgeons are also proficient in this aspect of their patients’ care.  Find out more 

Cardiothoracic surgeons generally work closely with their colleagues in Cardiology, Respiratory Medicine, Oncological Medicine, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care.  They also have close professional relationships with other non-medical staff such as perfusionists, intensive care staff and operating department personnel.

Whilst many cardiothoracic surgeons develop proficiency in the broad range of the specialty, some tend to focus and develop expertise in more complex areas of special interest. These include:

• Cardiac surgery
• Thoracic surgery
• Surgery of the aorta
• Transplantation and heart failure surgery
• Congenital surgery in children
• Congenital surgery in adults
• Oesophageal surgery

The Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland represents the professional interests of the speciality and has a website where further information can be obtained.

Entry into ST3 requires successful completion of IMRCS or equivalent at time of application as well as MBBS or equivalent medical qualification.  Trainees then typically complete six years of training from ST3 to ST8, subject to satisfactory progress.

Further information about cardiothoracic surgery, including training related material, can be found on the excellent CTSnet site.  This site provides a wealth of information, notes, forums etc specific to the cardiothoracic community.

Other imporant links

• Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland 
• Cardiothoracic courses at The Royal College of Surgeons
• Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme (ISCP)

Training Programmes