'Thoracic Surgery' renamed to 'Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery'

Amendment to Regulations on 'Specialist Training and Qualification Recognition' Approved at Cabinet Meeting

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The name of the department 'Thoracic Surgery' will be changed to 'Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery' to make it easier for patients to understand the scope of treatment.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 15th that the partial amendment to the "Regulations on Training and Qualification Recognition of Medical Specialists (Presidential Decree)" to change the specialty name from Thoracic Surgery to Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery was approved at the Cabinet meeting.

Thoracic Surgery is a specialty that focuses on surgeries of the heart, lungs, aorta, airway, esophagus, thymus, chest wall trauma, and peripheral vessels. It was separated from General Surgery in 1972 and recognized as a specialty, initially called 'Thoracoplasty' until 1994, after which the name 'Thoracic Surgery' was used. However, there were concerns that the term 'thoracic (chest)' was difficult for patients to understand, leading to confusion about which diseases are treated.

In response, the medical community, led by the Korean Society of Thoracic Surgery, discussed changing the name, and recently, through mediation by the Korean Medical Association and discussions among related societies, the new name 'Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery' was chosen.

Lee Hyung-hoon, Director of Health Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "With the amendment of the enforcement decree, we expect that more accurate information about the scope of thoracic surgery will improve patients' access to medical care and enable them to receive specialized treatment." He added, "We will promote the new name Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery in cooperation with the medical community to ensure it is well established in medical practice."

Kim Kyung-hwan, Chairman of the Korean Society of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, also stated, "We are changing the name to Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery so that anyone can easily understand the field of treatment. This name change will be a new starting point that brings us closer to patients and contributes to public health."