Objectives: The UK postgraduate training program in cardiothoracic surgery is challenging and competitive, with trainees choosing the field for different reasons. This study aims to identify factors that influence medical students in pursuing a career within cardiothoracic surgery.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in which a questionnaire was anonymously filled out by medical students across 17 medical schools in the United Kingdom. An online survey platform was used for survey distribution and analysis. A mixed-methods approach was employed to gather quantitative and qualitative data. Data collection consisted of a series of closed questions and 1 open-ended question. The questions focused on the attitudes toward, knowledge of, and exposure to cardiothoracic surgery. Results:The survey yielded 265 responses. Interest in cardiothoracic surgery was seen in 45.3% of participants, with the leading factor for pursuing this career being lifestyle factors (50%), closely followed by the career opportunities (42.9%) and the aid of mentors (31%). Some discouraging factors were: Difficulty of learning material (37.7%), length of the training program (27.4%), competition in the field (26%), stress (24.3%), and lifestyle factors (22.1%). PERSPECTIVEAttracting enthusiastic individuals to the specialty is essential to the sustainability of cardiothoracic surgery. In this study, we aimed to understand the influences behind the perceptions of cardiothoracic surgery amongst UK medical students and identify strategies that could ameliorate specialty numbers, through the distribution of a multiuniversity survey targeting medical students of all years.

Heart failure is considered one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Over the years, etiological risk factors, diagnostic criteria, and classifications have been revised to create guide management needed to alleviate the global health burden caused by heart failure. Pharmacological treatments have progressed over time but are insufficient in reducing mortality. This leads to many patients developing advanced heart failure who will require surgical intervention often in the form of the gold standard, a heart transplant. However, the number of patients requiring a transplant far exceeds the number of donors. Other surgical inventions have been utilized, yet the rate of patients being diagnosed with heart failure is still increasing. Future developments in the surgical field of heart failure include the 77SyncCardia and atrial shunting but long‐term clinical trials involving larger cohorts of patients have not yet taken place to view how effective these approaches can be.