This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lenfant, C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lenfant, C.

(Circulation. 2000;102:1212.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.

Cardiovascular News

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Cardiothoracic Surgery Program

Drawing from Our Past, Building for Our Future

Claude Lenfant, MD

I am pleased to announce that the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) will reestablish its intramural cardiac surgery program this year.

Before I explain our rationale for reinstituting the program, let me briefly review the history of the previous cardiac surgery program at the NHLBI and that program’s termination. As some of the readership may recall, in 1990, the NHLBI found itself in the regrettable position of having to dismantle its highly regarded intramural cardiac surgery program. At that time, however, we had little choice. Our decision was thoroughly considered and carefully based on several key factors.

The first of these factors was the changing nature of the cardiology research program. The NHLBI’s Cardiac Surgery Branch had made outstanding contributions to the fields of clinical surgery and surgery research, especially in the areas of valve replacement procedures and treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. However, the field of cardiology and cardiac surgery soon progressed to the point that many of these once-innovative techniques had become accepted as standard clinical practice. At that point, the NHLBI was no longer driving cutting-edge research in cardiac surgery. In fact, we had made the decision to emphasize and pursue newer, molecular biology approaches for the treatment of cardiac disease.

The second factor influencing our decision to discontinue the program was an inability to recruit and maintain a permanent cadre of surgeons. One reason for this was the perception that the program was not a professional challenge because of the limited volume and nature of . . . [Full Text of this Article]