The cardiovascular field of medicine has been in recent years the center of a vivid production of innovations deriving from the application of cutting-edge technologies and the translation from bench to bedside of several innovative discoveries.

Several experimental efforts have been lavished on the development of novel devices, drugs, approaches, and techniques to treat the disease of the coronary arteries, cardiac valves, and great vessels. The cooperation of a wide range of scientists with different expertise led to the creation of extraordinary devices and methodologies which allow us to treat a growing number of patients safer and quicker. Drug design and molecular targeting in drug discovery, transcatheter technologies, minimally invasive surgery, robotic surgery, or artificial-intelligence-driven diagnostics are only some of the exciting avenues opening in recent years.

Also, the perioperative and postoperative management of cardiac surgery patients has experienced significant improvements leading to the progressively increasing involvement of anesthesiologists and intensivists in the shared care of these patients.

This special issue of JOVE is designed to provide a detailed visual outline of the state of the art in cardiovascular surgery embracing all the most innovative technologies, procedures, or common techniques populating this specialty in both perioperative and intraoperative aspects. Also, video tutorials of clinical or preclinical research are encouraged with the aim to help the surgical community in the design of research projects or data analysis.