Cardiac anesthesia: thirty years later--the second annual Arthur E. Weyman lecture.

Cardiac anesthesiology has evolved spectacularly over the past 30 yr, changing from a practice focused on the anesthetic management of patients with cardiovascular diseases to a practice of cardiovascular medicine that contributes to the medical and surgical management of cardiovascular patients. The second Weyman lecture reviews this history, the critical role of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists in the evolution of the specialty, and the prospects for continued development for the specialty, the society, and the patients they care for.