Cardiothoracic surgery is the medical field concerned with the surgical treatment of diseases affecting the organs within the thorax, that is, the surgical treatment of diseases of the heart and lungs. Cardiac surgery (involving the heart and major blood vessels) and thoracic surgery (involving the lungs and any other organs within the rib cage) are separate surgical specialties, except in the USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand where they are combined into one specialty, making the surgeon trainee In the field of cardiothoracic surgery, he has extensive experience in both fields before specializing in one of them.