Cardiac surgery 2015 reviewed.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Cardiac Surgery
• Interventional Cardiology

Background:

• Cardiac surgery literature is extensive, with nearly 19,000 publications in 2015.
• Key discussions involve the intersection of traditional cardiac surgery and modern interventional techniques.
• Evidence gaps in coronary revascularization have been addressed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review pertinent publications in cardiac surgery from the past year.
• To provide an up-to-date summary for clinical decision-making.
• To cover coronary revascularization, valve disease, heart failure, and aortic surgery.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent publications in cardiac surgery.
• Synthesis of information on coronary revascularization, valve disease, heart failure, and aortic surgery.
• Focus on areas of overlap between surgical and interventional approaches.

Main Results:

• Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is confirmed as the gold standard for complex triple-vessel disease.
• Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) demonstrates similar short- and mid-term outcomes to conventional methods across risk groups.
• Transfemoral TAVI shows a survival advantage in intermediate-risk patients.

Conclusions:

• CABG remains the primary revascularization strategy for complex coronary artery disease.
• TAVI is a viable alternative to conventional aortic valve surgery, particularly in intermediate-risk patients.
• This review offers a condensed summary to guide current cardiac surgery practice.