Facts and fantasies of congenital heart surgery: thoughts on advances in heart surgery and those who make them.

Abstract

For many years physicians, and surgeons in particular, have been able to implement new treatments with minimal oversight. However, the potential for abuse inherent in such a system has led to an increased degree of monitoring and new regulations. Although regulatory control is far different today, it must be acknowledged that surgeons have enjoyed a greater degree of freedom than other specialists. The congenital heart surgeon's laboratory is, of necessity, often the operating room itself because appropriate animal models do not exist and have not generally been exploited. Advances will surely continue to be made, but the days of innovation as we have come to know them may be lost. In this article, some thoughts regarding advances in cardiac surgery and how surgeons have made them along with insights into the mind and motivation of the heart surgeon are discussed.