J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 91(9): 1137-1141, 1990
Report on the annual meeting
CARDIAC SURGERY IN JAPAN －PROGRESS AND OBSTACLES IN THE LAST DECADE－
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First Department of Surgery, Osaka University Medical School, Osaka, Japan Yasunaru Kawashima, Hikaru Matsuda, Susumu Nakano, Kazuhiro Taniguchi, Mitsunori Kaneko, Akira Kawaguchi |
During the last decade (1980s) over the decade before (1970s), congenital anomalies decreased in proportion, valvular diseases remained the same and coronary diseases increased comparatively as the indication for cardiac surgery. Indications have also been extended and few cardiac diseases are currently unamenable to surgery except for diseases requiring heart and/ or lung transplantation. Despite inclusion of high risk cases and increased re-doing surgery, mortality has been minimized mainly because of advances in myocardial protection, emergence of various circulatory assists and progress in diagnostic methods. Thus, quality of surgery has to be sought to reduce postoperative morbidity and to promote rehabilitation. We have employed various approaches to achieve this end and continue to do so for the next decade.
Aforementioned progress and efforts in cardiac surgery have brought us to the world highest level in medical science but not in medical art, namely practice. Strictly limited manpower in the most demanding cardiac patient care severely restricts activity of surgeon and welfare of the nation. One of the break-through would be a fair cost evaluation of cardiac surgical practices to ensure assignment of reasonable workforce.
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