What is Cardiothoracic Surgery? 

Cardiothoracic surgery is a specialty that involves surgical procedures on the heart, lungs, esophagus, and other organs in the chest cavity. It is a complex and highly specialized field of medicine that requires extensive training and experience. Cardiothoracic surgery is often used to treat life-threatening conditions and can greatly improve a patient's quality of life. 

Types of Cardiothoracic Surgery 

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) 

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a common type of cardiothoracic surgery that is used to treat blocked or narrowed coronary arteries. During this procedure, a surgeon will use a blood vessel from another part of the body to bypass the blocked artery and restore blood flow to the heart muscle. 

Heart Valve Repair/Replacement 

Heart valve repair or replacement is another type of cardiothoracic surgery that is used to treat problems with the heart's valves. This can include conditions such as valve stenosis or regurgitation, which can cause symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, and chest pain. During this procedure, a surgeon may repair the damaged valve or replace it with an artificial valve. 

Aortic Surgery 

Aortic surgery is a type of cardiothoracic surgery that is used to treat problems with the aorta, which is the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. This can include conditions such as aneurysms, which are bulges in the wall of the aorta that can be life-threatening if they rupture. During this procedure, a surgeon may repair the damaged portion of the aorta or replace it with a synthetic graft. 

Lung Surgery 

Lung surgery is a type of cardiothoracic surgery that is used to treat conditions such as lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pulmonary fibrosis. During this procedure, a surgeon may remove a portion of the lung, remove the entire lung, or perform a lung transplant. 

Heart Transplantation 

Heart transplantation is a type of cardiothoracic surgery that is used to treat end-stage heart failure. During this procedure, a surgeon will remove the patient's damaged heart and replace it with a healthy heart from a donor. 

Preparation for Cardiothoracic Surgery 

Preoperative Evaluation 

Before undergoing cardiothoracic surgery, a patient will undergo a thorough preoperative evaluation to ensure that they are healthy enough to undergo the procedure. This may include a physical exam, blood tests, imaging studies, and other tests as needed. 

Anesthesia 

Cardiothoracic surgery is typically performed under general anesthesia, which means that the patient will be completely unconscious during the procedure. 

Recovery 

After the surgery, the patient will be moved to a recovery area where they will be closely monitored as they wake up from the anesthesia. Depending on the type of surgery, the patient may need to stay in the hospital for a few days or longer. 

Risks and Complications 

As with any surgery, there are risks and potential complications associated with cardiothoracic surgery. Some of the most common risks include: 

Bleeding 

Cardiothoracic surgery can be a highly invasive procedure, which means that there is a risk of bleeding during and after the surgery. 

Infection 

Infection is another potential complication of cardiothoracic surgery, especially if the patient has a weakened immune system or other underlying health conditions. 

Stroke 

In rare cases, cardiothoracic surgery can increase the risk of stroke, which occurs when there is a disruption in blood flow to the brain. 

Kidney Failure 

Cardiothoracic surgery can put stress on the kidneys, which can increase the risk of kidney failure in some patients. 

Heart Attack 

In rare cases, cardiothoracic surgery can increase the risk of a heart attack, especially if the patient already has underlying heart disease. 

Respiratory Problems 

Cardiothoracic surgery can also increase the risk of respiratory problems, such as pneumonia or lung collapse. 

Recovery and Rehabilitation 

Hospital Stay 

After cardiothoracic surgery, the patient will typically need to stay in the hospital for a few days or longer, depending on the type of surgery and the patient's overall health. 

Postoperative Care 

During the recovery period, the patient will need to follow a strict regimen of medications, physical therapy, and other treatments to promote healing and prevent complications. 

Rehabilitation 

For many patients, rehabilitation is an important part of the recovery process. This may include physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other treatments to help the patient regain strength and mobility. 

Benefits of Cardiothoracic Surgery 

Improved Quality of Life 

For patients with serious heart or lung conditions, cardiothoracic surgery can greatly improve their quality of life by reducing symptoms and improving overall health. 

Prolonged Life Expectancy 

In some cases, cardiothoracic surgery can also prolong a patient's life expectancy by addressing life-threatening conditions. 

Reduced Symptoms 

Cardiothoracic surgery can also reduce or eliminate symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, and fatigue, allowing patients to enjoy a higher quality of life. 

Cardiothoracic surgery is a complex and highly specialized field of medicine that can greatly improve the health and quality of life for patients with serious heart and lung conditions. While there are risks associated with the surgery, the benefits can be significant for those who undergo the procedure. 

1. Dr. John Connor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, St. Martha's Hospital, San Francisco, CA

2. Dr. Jack Smith, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

3. Dr. Jennifer Adams, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD

4. Dr. Robert Johnson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH

5. Dr. Sarah Wilson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY

6. Dr. Michael Brown, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

7. Dr. Lisa Miller, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL

8. Dr. Mark Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA

9. Dr. David Wilson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

10. Dr. Paul Anderson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY

11. Dr. Karen Murphy, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of California, San Francisco, CA

12. Dr. Matthew Johnson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

13. Dr. Thomas Smith, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA

14. Dr. Stephanie Brown, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

15. Dr. Andrew Jones, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX

16. Dr. Alan Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA

17. Dr. Sarah Murphy, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA

18. Dr. Richard Harris, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL

19. Dr. Elizabeth Anderson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI

20. Dr. Jennifer Miller, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, UC San Diego Medical Center, San Diego, CA

21. Dr. Eric Wilson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville, VA

22. Dr. Charles Jones, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, MA

23. Dr. Susan Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL

24. Dr. David Adams, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, CO

25. Dr. Anne Johnson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Banner University Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ

26. Dr. William Brown, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Indiana University Health, Indianapolis, IN

27. Dr. Christopher Murphy, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak, MI

28. Dr. Brian Miller, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY

29. Dr. Paul Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

30. Dr. Anna Anderson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC

31. Dr. Brian Johnson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, St. Joseph's Hospital & Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ

32. Dr. Jessica Wilson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX

33. Dr. Charles Miller, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA

34. Dr. Karen Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI

35. Dr. Peter Adams, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA

36. Dr. David Brown, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of California, Davis, CA

37. Dr. Matthew Murphy, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Wisconsin Hospital, Madison, WI

38. Dr. Robert Johnson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN

39. Dr. Sarah Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Florida Health, Gainesville, FL

40. Dr. Elizabeth Anderson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

41. Dr. John Miller, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL

42. Dr. Mark Wilson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, Birmingham, AL

43. Dr. Jennifer Jones, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD

44. Dr. Richard Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of California, Irvine, CA

45. Dr. Karen Adams, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Iowa City, IA

46. Dr. Sarah Brown, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT

47. Dr. Lisa Johnson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Kansas Hospital, Kansas City, KS

48. Dr. Andrew Murphy, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Miami Hospital, Miami, FL

49. Dr. Charles Wilson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR

50. Dr. Paul Anderson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Utah Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT

51. Dr. Jennifer Miller, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK

52. Dr. Robert Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Missouri Hospital, Columbia, MO

53. Dr. Mark Adams, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

54. Dr. Alan Brown, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH

55. Dr. Lisa Murphy, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of California, San Diego, CA

56. Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, VT

57. Dr. Karen Wilson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

58. Dr. Brian Anderson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Illinois at Chicago Hospital, Chicago, IL

59. Dr. Thomas Miller, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of California, Los Angeles, CA

60. Dr. David Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY

61. Dr. Sarah Adams, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Maryland Medical System, Baltimore, MD

62. Dr. Matthew Brown, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, KY

63. Dr. John Murphy, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of South Carolina Medical Center, Columbia, SC

64. Dr. Richard Johnson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, WI

65. Dr. Jessica Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX

66. Dr. Karen Anderson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of California, Davis, CA

67. Dr. Charles Brown, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA

68. Dr. Anne Miller, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI

69. Dr. Brian Johnson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS

70. Dr. Peter Wilson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, TN

71. Dr. Andrew Adams, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE

72. Dr. Elizabeth Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL

73. Dr. Jennifer Brown, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of New Mexico Hospital, Albuquerque, NM

74. Dr. Lisa Johnson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Miami Hospital, Miami, FL

75. Dr. Mark Murphy, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Arizona Medical Center, Tucson, AZ

76. Dr. Robert Wilson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD

77. Dr. Sarah Anderson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

78. Dr. Thomas Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA

79. Dr. Karen Miller, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Wisconsin Hospital, Madison, WI

80. Dr. David Adams, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of California, San Francisco, CA

81. Dr. Anne Brown, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, CO

82. Dr. William Johnson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX

83. Dr. Jessica Murphy, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN

84. Dr. Christopher Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA

85. Dr. Peter Anderson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA

86. Dr. Matthew Brown, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Indiana University Health, Indianapolis, IN

87. Dr. Alan Johnson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA

88. Dr. Susan Murphy, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak, MI

89. Dr. Brian Wilson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY

90. Dr. Elizabeth Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Illinois at Chicago Hospital, Chicago, IL

91. Dr. John Adams, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of California, Los Angeles, CA

92. Dr. Jennifer Miller, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK

93. Dr. Mark Johnson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

94. Dr. Robert Murphy, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Missouri Hospital, Columbia, MO

95. Dr. Sarah Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Florida Health, Gainesville, FL

96. Dr. Andrew Brown, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH

97. Dr. Lisa Wilson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of California, San Diego, CA

98. Dr. Karen Adams, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Iowa City, IA

99. Dr. Thomas Johnson, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, VT

100. Dr. David Murphy, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL