A cardiothoracic surgeon is a medical doctor who specializes in surgical procedures of the heart, lungs, esophagus, and other organs in the chest. This includes surgeons who can be called cardiac surgeons, cardiovascular surgeons, general thoracic surgeons, and congenital heart surgeon.

The major difference is while cardiothoracic surgeons may perform complex repairs on the heart and its associated structures, they typically limit their treatment of the patient to the time surrounding the operation and during recovery. Cardiologists often follow their patients for much longer periods of time, often in conjunction with a primary care physician to help monitor and treat more long-term cardiovascular conditions.