The Journal presents original, exclusive articles on conditions of the chest, heart, lungs, and great vessels where surgical intervention is indicated. An official publication of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association, the journal focuses on techniques and developments in cardiac surgery, pacemaker insertion/removal, lung and esophageal surgeries, heart and lung transplantation, and other procedures. The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery ranks in the top 3.3% of the 4,779 scientific journals most frequently cited (Science Citation Index). It is also recommended for initial purchase in the Brandon-Hill study, Selected List of Books and Journals for the Small Medical Library (1997/98 Edition).

該雜志發表了關于胸部、心臟、肺和大血管狀況的原創、獨家文章，指出需要手術治療。該雜志是美國胸外科協會和西方胸外科協會的官方出版物，主要關注心臟手術、起搏器插入/移除、肺和食管手術、心肺移植和其他手術的技術和發展。《胸心血管外科雜志》在4779份最常引用的科學期刊（科學引文索引）中排名前3.3%。還建議在布蘭登-希爾研究（Brandon Hill Study）中進行首次購買，該研究是小型醫學圖書館（1997/98版）書籍和期刊的精選清單。