This includes lung surgeries, chest wall reconstruction, biopsies and tumor excisions within the chest cavity, and miscellaneous non-cardiac procedures. Cardiovascular refers to systems involving the heart and blood vessels, including arterial and venous problems.
Cardiopulmonary bypass is instituted using the heart-lung machine.
During open-heart surgery the heart is sometimes stopped while the surgeon performs the repair. While the heart is stopped, the heart-lung machine is used to circulate and oxygenate the patient's blood, bypassing the work that a beating heart usually performs. This site can give you more information on cardiopulmonary bypass . Intensivists Intensivists are physicians who specialize in treating patients in the Intensive Care Unit. At Children's Memorial Hospital, the intensivists work closely with the cardiac surgeons to provide postoperative care.