title: [Disappearing borders between cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery: status quo].
abstract: Cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery are closely related so that collaboration and communication are required to offer optimal therapy for patients. During the last decades many innovations have reduced the borders between cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery. Today, cardiologists may perform coronary interventions with good results that would have previously been the domain of coronary bypass surgery. In addition new valvular interventions have been developed, such as transfemoral or transapical aortic valve implantation and endovascular mitral valve reconstruction. New developments in cardiothoracic surgery have led to less invasive procedures and many surgical procedures can now be performed with minimally invasive techniques and without a cardiopulmonary bypass. To enable optimal therapy for patients, closer collaboration between cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons is required setting the stage for individualized therapy in the future.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Innere Medizin III: Kardiologie, Angiologie und Pneumologie, Universitätsklinik Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 410, 69120, Heidelberg, Deutschland. raffi.bekeredjian@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bekeredjian
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Katus
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haverich
mesh_terms: D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000601:surgery; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000639:trends; D002309:Cardiology / Q000639:trends*; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass / Q000639:trends; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000639:trends; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000601:surgery; D005544:Forecasting; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000639:trends; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000601:surgery; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000639:trends*; D013038:Specialization / Q000639:trends; D013903:Thoracic Surgery / Q000639:trends*