Cardio-Thoracic Surgery

The Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery is part of the School of Clinical Medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It is an academic clinical department concerned with surgery of the heart, lungs and major thoracic structures.

Its research strengths lie in cardiac ischaemia reperfusion injury, controlled reperfusion after cardiac arrest, myocardial preconditioning and mitochondrial pathways, and surgical reconstruction techniques. Publications also cover aortic trauma and tracheal replacement with biologic grafts, alongside perioperative critical care.

Further themes include systemic disease and inflammation, with work on gut immunity and metabolic disorders. The department's research thus spans translational cardiac science, high-risk surgical problem solving and operative practice. The publication data do not indicate specific countries of study.