Cardiac surgery

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Cardiac surgery
Two cardiac surgeons performing coronary artery bypass surgery. Note the use of a steel retractor to forcefully maintain the exposure of the heart.
ICD-9-CM	35-37
MeSH	D006348
OPS-301 code	5-35...5-37
[edit on Wikidata]

Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is a surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to correct congenital heart disease; or to treat valvular heart disease from various causes, including endocarditis, rheumatic heart disease,^[1] and atherosclerosis.^[2] It also includes heart transplantation.^[3]