The heart and lungs are our most vital organs, providing oxygen and pumping blood throughout the body; hence, treating them requires highly skilled and specialized doctors. Within the broad field of medicine and surgery, cardiothoracic surgery focuses on treating patients affected by conditions and diseases in the heart, lungs, esophagus, or chest, also known as the thorax. Some surgical treatments include coronary artery bypass grafting, angioplasty, heart transplants, lobectomies, and aneurysms.
This specialized branch of surgery requires doctors to complete extensive training to gain expertise and precision in cardiac surgery, as procedures can be risky. These doctors are known as cardiothoracic surgeons. After medical school, doctors complete five years of a general surgery residency and then, in around two to four years, a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship. Some may specialize even further, for example, in congenital, transplant, or pediatric cardiothoracic surgery.
Cardiothoracic surgeons can study various types of surgeries, including thoracic, cardiovascular, and cardiothoracic. However, the main subspecialties include cardiac, thoracic (surgery for lungs and esophagus), and congenital (correcting heart defects).
Common surgeries and conditions within Cardiothoracic surgery:
Lobectomy - A lung cancer surgery that involves removing a specific section of the lung, referred to as a lobe, which is affected by lung cancer.
Heart or Lung transplant - Replacement of a damaged lung or heart with the healthy organs of someone who passed away.
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) -Treatment for coronary artery disease, in which coronary arteries become too blocked and narrow, restricting blood flow. Done by a bypass that involves taking part of a healthy artery and allowing blood to bypass the blocked portion, thus improving blood flow.
Heart Valve Replacement - Replacement of a damaged heart valve with a mechanical valve or one made from pig, cow, or human heart tissue to ensure it can open and close correctly.
Aneurysms - Occur when the wall of a blood vessel or artery swells and presents a bulge. They can be removed through surgery in order to prevent bursting.
Stent placement - A minimally invasive procedure, performed during angioplasty, that involves placing a small metal mesh tube in a narrow artery to help keep it open.
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) - A condition in which there is an irregular and rapid heart rhythm, also referred to as arrhythmia. It can lead to blood clots, increasing the risk of heart failure. It is usually treated through medication and procedures that bring your heart rhythm back to normal.
Maze procedure - This is one of the few procedures used to treat atrial fibrillation. Surgeons use cold energy to make a maze pattern on the upper chambers of the heart.
Pneumonectomy - Surgical procedure that removes the entire lung.
Esophagectomy - Surgical procedure that removes part of or the entire esophagus.
Reference List
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Corewell Health (2024). Cardiothoracic Surgery - Surgeries Performed on the Chest | Beaumont Health | Corewell Health. [online] Available at: https://www.beaumont.org/treatments/cardiothoracic-surgery.
Intermountainhealthcare.org. (2014). Heart & vascular care at Intermountain Health. [online] Available at: https://intermountainhealthcare.org/services/heart-vascular-care.
John Hopkins Medicine (2019). Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery. [online] hopkinsmedicine.org. Available at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/coronary-artery-bypass-graft-surgery.
Mancini, M.C. (2022). Heart-Lung Transplantation: Practice Essentials, Indications, Contraindications. [online] Medscape.com. Available at: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/429188-overview?form=fpf.
Mayoclinic.org. (2024). Maze procedure - Type - Mayo Clinic. [online] Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/maze-procedure/pyc-20384973#.
Royal College of Surgeons of England (2024). Cardiothoracic Surgery — Royal College of Surgeons. [online] Royal College of Surgeons. Available at: https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/news-and-events/media-centre/media-background-briefings-and-statistics/cardiothoracic-surgery/#:~:text=Cardiothoracic%20surgery%20is%20the%20specialty.
Wikipedia Contributors (2024). Cardiothoracic surgery. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiothoracic_surgery.
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