%0 Journal Article
%T Cardiac surgery: What the future holds?
%A Haralabos Parissis
%J Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1749-8090-6-93
%X This report identifies the challenges that the specialty is facing, and suggests solutions and strategies for the future.Within the last 50 years, the steps of progress in the medical field are impressive: The 5-year cancer survival rates have risen from 30% to over 60% [1]. Cardiovascular mortality between 1950 and 1990 has decreased by about the same number & HIV/AIDS has been transformed into a chronic disease [1]. Life expectancy for a 45-year-old has increased 9 years since 1950 [2].On the other hand, in the US only, it has been estimated that the number of citizens over the age of 75 is expected to quadruple over the next 50 years [3]; furthermore, IHD is the leading cause of death and in UK accounts for 17.4% of all deaths annually. IHD accounted for approximately one in six male deaths and one in eight female deaths during 2009 [4]. So, although the predictions outline the increased future demand of Cardiothoracic surgery, the specialty has witnessed a notable decrease in applicants over the past decade. In this context, Grover and colleagues [5] reported that the "United States will face a severe shortage of cardiothoracic surgeons within 10 years if entry into the profession keeps declining.'There is a lack of interest amongst young trainees for the cardiothoracic specialty and since 2003 the number of recruiters in the specialty is reducing annually.The reason for this discrepancy is multifaceted.1) Coronary Stent technology has grown larger and has displaced Coronary Artery Bypass surgery globally; In the British Isles, three PCIs are carried out per surgically revascularised case; Furthermore, Intravascular procedures continue to evolve not only with the use of intracoronary stents but also with the introduction of such a technology for the treatment of aortic pathologies and valvular heart disease.Each year patients who undergo cardiac surgery continue to be sicker, older, and at higher risk for complications. As patients get sicker and hear about adva
%U http://www.cardiothoracicsurgery.org/content/6/1/93