A surgical incision or opening made into the heart tissue.
Greek 'kardia' (heart) + 'tome' (cut, section), a surgical term describing direct access to the heart. Cardiotomy emerged as a crucial technique once surgeons had the tools (anesthesia, antibiotics, blood transfusion) to safely open the heart.
Cardiotomy was genuinely revolutionary—the first successful cardiotomy for heart surgery changed medicine forever because surgeons suddenly realized they could repair the heart itself, not just manage its consequences, launching modern cardiac surgery in the 1950s.
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