
Description
The future of cardiac surgery faces significant challenges with the widespread application of transcatheter technologies, including coronary stenting, percutaneous valves, endovascular approaches to thoracic aortic disease, and ablation of arrhythmias in the electrophysiology laboratory. Most of these technologies evolved from the concept that a less invasive approach to structural heart disease is preferred by patients to reduce trauma, minimize complications, expedite recovery, and improve the quality of life.