Cardiovascular Surgery, Institute of

(full name, A. N. Bakulev Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR), a scientific research institution that develops surgical methods for treating cardiovascular disease. Founded in Moscow in 1956 as the Institute of Chest Surgery of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, it was reorganized in 1961 as the Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery. In 1967 the institute was named in honor of A. N. Bakulev, its founder and first director (1955–67).

As of 1974, the Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery had divisions of congenital and acquired heart disease, cardiology, vascular surgery, resuscitation, roentgenology, transfusion, and infants’ cardiovascular diseases. There are laboratories specializing in artificial circulation, roentgenosurgical research methods, hyperbaric oxygenation, heart transplant, medical cybernetics, and mathematical simulation of physiological systems.

The Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery is the leading Soviet establishment for the study of the surgical treatment of cardiovascular disease, including the radical correction of congenital heart disease, the use of prosthetic valves in cases of acquired heart disease, and the reconstructive surgery of blood vessels. The institute has programs for clinical residency and regular and correspondence graduate programs.