The Development of Slovenian Heart Surgery: Celebrating 50 Years (1958-2008)

Background: The beginnings of Slovenian cardiac surgery reach back to 1958, when the first heart surgery using extracorporeal circulation (ECC) was performed. The 50th anniversary of this event was the impetus for reviewing its developmental path. Methods: History of medicine methodology, including analysis of archival materials, documents, and various publications of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Ljubljana University Medical Center, Slovenia. Results: Presentation of the development of Slovenian cardiac surgery from 1958 to 2008. Conclusion: Small countries may not be able to contribute great developmental steps to world cardiac surgery, but the work of individuals from these countries can represent a contribution to the development of the discipline.