title: The future of cardiac surgery.
abstract: Cardiac surgery in the future will probably be different than it is today. It is unlikely that the general changes that have occurred in the demands on cardiac surgeons and cardiologists and their responses to them will be reversed. Therefore, it is likely that the role of the primary care physician in decision-making will increase. However, constantly upgraded, properly analyzed, and properly displayed information about the decreasing risks and increasing benefits of cardiac operations needs to be made available to the primary care physician.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Alabama, Birmingham Medical Center 35294.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kirklin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000639:trends*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D005194:Family Practice / Q000639:trends*; D005544:Forecasting; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000295:instrumentation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve; D012307:Risk Factors