Objectives: Topical search filters are created by information specialists, with assistance from subject specialists, to retrieve information effectively and efficiently. We aimed to create a search hedge for adult cardiac surgery with the assistance of an information specialist and an interdisciplinary team of subject specialists that included two former cardiac surgery patients. Methods: To validate the cardiac surgery search filter, we followed similar methodologies to other published topical search filters. Specifically, we created a gold standard set of references by identifying cardiac surgery guidelines and retrieving their references. These references were screened using pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Once we had the gold standard set of articles, we developed a search strategy with a high sensitivity. Patient co-researchers played active roles in creating the gold standard set and testing the search strategy. Results: The search filter is optimized for Medline (Ovid) and PubMed. Our sensitivity rate is 98% and 99% in Medline (Ovid) and PubMed, respectively. Our specificity rate is 60% and 49% in Medline (Ovid) and PubMed, respectively. Conclusions: Patients are key stakeholders in healthcare research and can be successfully engaged in search filter creation. Working with an interdisciplinary team ensures the search filter will be useful to a wide range of users. Our search filter is designed to assist patients, clinicians, academics, and other stakeholders in finding relevant peer-reviewed articles on adult cardiac surgery.