New Perspectives in Cardiovascular Surgery

Dear Colleagues,

Despite the first conception that any surgical attempts to treat heart disease were unethical, the specialty of cardiovascular surgery impressively developed during the past century, reaching unexpected results in terms of safety and efficacy. Impressive developments in technology, surgical instruments, medical research, pharmacology, immunobiology, and human factors all contributed to these achievements, so that current cardiovascular surgical practice is not the same as that provided to patients only few years ago.

For example, several improvements have been made in antibiotic therapy and biological tissue materials for surgical use in endocarditis or vascular graft infections. Similarly, the development of miniaturized instruments has led to the rapid growth of this practice with minimal access. Again, the development of transcatheter technologies has completely revolutionized the endovascular treatment of valve diseases, as well as thoracic and/or abdominal aortic diseases. On the same side, the development of more biocompatible materials together with the miniaturization of equipment have significantly attenuated inflammatory reaction following cardiopulmonary bypass as well as the safety and efficacy of mechanical assisting devices. Finally, several pharmacological developments have dramatically ameliorated anaesthetic management, as well as the postoperative care of heart transplants.

It is therefore the aim of this Special Issue to focus on the most relevant innovations developed in cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, and cardiovascular anaesthesia during the last two decades, and to provide readers with the current state-of-the-art in these fields of surgery.

We therefore welcome the submission of original articles or review articles focused on the novel findings and last developments dealing with:

1. Anaesthesia in cardiac and vascular surgery;
2. Cardiopulmonary bypass management;
3. Minimally invasive cardiac or vascular surgery;
4. Transcatheter valve therapies;
5. Endovascular surgery;
6. Cardiovascular prostheses and biomaterials;
7. Surgical management for:
   1. Endocarditis;
   2. Vascular graft infections;
   3. Mechanical assisting devices;
   4. Heart transplant.

Authors are encouraged to focus or underscore the impact of novel findings/innovations on the surgical management of cardiovascular diseases.

Prof. Dr. Francesco Onorati
Prof. Dr. Francesco Nicolini
Prof. Dr. Eduard Quintana
Guest Editors

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