Simulation in cardiology and cardiothoracic and vascular surgery.

Cardiologists and cardiac surgeons are rapidly embracing the use of realistic patient simulators and virtual reality devices to allow mastery of complex techniques, planning of complicated procedures, crisis management of infrequently seen diseases and complications, and development of medical team work. Simulation can certainly be used for these purposes in surgical education but provides only the ;;tip of the iceberg'' of the knowledge needed by the competent cardiothoracic, vascular, or general surgeon. Is simulation really the way to learn how to perform actual surgical procedures? This review will describe available surgical simulation technology, and define some of the problems to be solved for validation and general acceptance.