History of A.N. Bakulev National Medical Research Center for Cardiovascular Surgery

The Institute of Thoracic Surgery of Soviet Academy of Medical Sciences was founded in 1956 at the initiative of one of the outstanding XX-th century surgeons, Academician Alexander Bakulev. The Institute was based at Moscow First City Hospital. In 1961 the Institute of Thoracic Surgery was renamed into Institute for Cardiovascular surgery USSR AMS. It was the first specialized Institute for surgical treatment of heart and vascular diseases in the world. After A. Bakulev’s death in 1967 the Institute for Cardiovascular surgery USSR AMS was named after him.

V.I. Burakovsky, an outstanding Russian cardiosurgeon, headed the Institute in 1966. The active and successful development of Russian cardiosurgery started when he became in charge of the Institute. By its 20^th anniversary the Institute became an acknowledged leader in cardiovascular surgery, more than 16,000 operations for heart and vessels were carried out there. By 1980 more than 2,000 operations for heart and vessels were performed annually at the Institute, almost half of them were under cardiopulmonary bypass.

At V.I. Burakovsky’s initiative the Institute was reorganized into Scientific Centre for cardiovascular surgery of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in 1992, it was named after A. N. Bakulev in 1995.

The construction of a new Institute building at Roublyevskoye Shosse started in 1984, it dragged on for 13 long years. The opening took place in 1997, due to the efforts of Leo Boсkeria, Academician RAMS, cardiovascular surgeon, V.I. Burakovsky’s pupil and follower. He took over the Institute after the teacher's death and remained director for 25 years until 2019.

 “V.I. Burakovsky Institute of Cardiac Surgery” was officially opened 9 December 1998 and it was a landmark event for the Centre’s history. The Institute made a great leap forward in Russian cardiosurgery development due to creating new modern clinical, experimental departments and labs as well as due to implementing the cutting-edge diagnostic and surgical technologies.

Taking into account V. I. Burakovsky’s special merits in national and world cardiac surgery, the building at Roublyevskoye Shosse was named after Academician V.I. Burakovsky (“V.I. Burakovsky Institute of Cardiac Surgery”).   The building at Leninsky prospect (“Alma mater”) became one of the Center’s Divisions- Institute of coronary and vascular surgery. 

The first in the world Rehabilitation Center for children with heart diseases, which is the structural division of the Center, was built and opened in 2014.

In 2017 the Center was granted national status and was renamed into FSBI “A.N. Bakulev National Medical Research Center for Cardiovascular Surgery” of the Russian Ministry of Health (Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation № 422 dated 12 July 2017).

Nowadays, the Center is a modern medical institution meeting the world’s standards. It performs the largest number of open-heart operations in Europe in the settings of one center. The Center provides all kinds of cardiosurgery in patients of different age, including newborns, infants and elderly patients.

Many doctors and scientists of the Center were awarded high awards for outstanding merits in the national healthcare and contribution to the development of medical science. They include Lenin and State Prizes of the USSR, prizes of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Lenin Komsomol, the Government of the Russian Federation, orders, medals and honorary titles - Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation and Honored Doctor of the Russian Federation. 6 Center employees are Academicians and Corresponding members of RAS.

In the building of the I.V. Burakovsky Institute of Cardiac Surgery, the Church of the Archbishop Luka Voyno-Yasinetsky was opened in 1998, whose words can serve as the motto of our clinic: "There cannot be a case for a doctor, especially for a surgeon, but only a living suffering person."