Overview of Cardiac Surgery for the Cardiologist

The motivation for this book was the recognition by two of us (RL and TL) that, despite our training as cardiologists, we had a limited understand­ ing of many aspects of the surgical management of our patients. Conversa­ tions with other cardiologists at our own institution and at other medical centers around the country convinced us that many of our colleagues shared our uncertainty about the details of surgical procedures and the factors that determine decisions in the perioperative period. As surgical techniques continue to evolve, this knowledge gap can become only more severe. We therefore compiled information about cardiac surgery that might be useful for cardiologists and other nonsurgeons. We asked cardiologists what questions they would like to ask their surgical colleagues and provided these questions to the authors of the chapters. Thus, the goal of these chapters is to help nonsurgeons answer their own questions about common cardiac procedures, and to help prepare these physicians to address the questions raised by their patients. In addition, we hope that insight into these issues will improve communication between surgeons and their col­ leagues-and, ultimately, lead to better patient care.