The growing incidence and importance of cardiovascular diseases in a number of countries calls for systematic quest for most efficient methods of treatment, which besides prevention and drug therapy include also surgical treatment. A group of experts from member countries of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) has worked out a scientific prognosis of trends of the development of cardiovascular surgery, which include surgical treatment of ischaemic heart disease, congenital and acquired heart defects, renovascular hypertension and affection of the aortic arch. The prognosis includes also an estimate of the number of operations which will have to be performed in the mentioned diseases per 1 million inhabitants of the CMEA member countries.

A N Bakulev Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery Moscow USSR