Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery consists of 4 full-time faculty members and 3 clinical professors. The department was separated from the Department of Surgery in 1973; from then on, rapid developments in the field of thoracic surgery have been made. In 1976, the department was the third in Korea to have successfully performed an open heart surgery using extracorporeal circulation, in 1986, first in Korea to perform arterial conversion for the transposition of great vessels, in 1987, third in Korea to succeed in performing coronary artery bypass graft; with all these records, the department is playing a leading role in the development of thoracic surgery in Korea. Thoracic Surgery is a study to diagnose a wide range of illnesses—on vessels such a arteries and veins as well as on organs such as thoracic heart, lung, esophagus, aorta, mediastinum, diaphragm—and treat them with surgical method. Since the organs treated are vital to maintaining life, thoracic surgeons are dedicated to education, research and medical care with professional skills and knowledge and state-of-the-art medical facilities. In addition, lectures in the medical school cultivate basic treatment skills and general principles of diagnostic procedures for general thoracic and cardiovascular diseases, indications for surgery, surgical methods, and treatment skills after surgeries.