From "spongy" and "cold" hearts to cellular cardiomyoplasty: tales of Canadian contribution to global cardiac surgery.

Despite the small size of its population and the number of its cardiac surgeons, Canadians have participated actively in the birth and development of cardiac surgery during the past half century, with pioneers such as Arthur Vineberg and Wilfred Bigelow leading the way. New and innovative cardiac surgical techniques and their scientific bases were developed and shared globally over the years. Canadian surgeons continue to be productive and are contributing to advances in this field at the dawn of the twenty-first century. Some of these efforts and achievements are illustrated in this review.