Developing sub-specialties in anesthesia - why we need cardiac anesthetists?

The specialty of anesthesia has progressed at a rapid pace since its first successful demonstration in 1846. Recognition and training in sub-specialties of anesthesia is not new and has been trending for last four decades in the developed countries. Cardiac anesthesia was conceived as a sub-specialty with a series of successful Blalock Taussig shunts and publication of first paper in 'Cardiac Anesthesia' in 1946. About 86% of the global burden of the cardiovascular disease is in the developing countries; coronary artery disease and rheumatic heart disease especially on a rise in Pakistan. With an increasing number of specialized cardiac centers across the country and specialists in cardiac surgery, there is a need of specialized cardiac anesthetists to meet the increasing demands