The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

What is a Thoracic Surgeon?

A thoracic surgeon is a medical doctor who performs operations on the heart, lungs, esophagus, and other organs in the chest.

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Adult Cardiac Surgery

Government Study Shows Benefits of Bypass Surgery Over Stents

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What is Pediatric Heart Disease?

Pediatric heart disease is a term used to describe several different heart conditions in children.

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Valve Repair/Replacement Surgery

Mitral valve replacement, aortic valve replacement, mitral valve repair.

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Aneurysm Surgery

An aortic aneurysm is an abnormal bulge in the wall of the aorta, the body's largest artery.

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Locate STS Surgeons

STS believes the public has a right to know the quality of surgical outcomes.

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STS believes the public has a right to know the quality of surgical outcomes.

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Our Mission

Founded in 1964, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 7,100 cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers, and allied health care professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. Learn more at

Activity

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons answered:
Is aortic dissection hereditary?

A study found that aortic dissections have the potential to run in families and often occur within 10 years of the same age. The researchers found the people who experienced an aortic dissection between the ages of 30 to 49 years, 71% of familial dissections occurred in that timeframe. For those...Read More

On Sep 15
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons answered:
What is a metastasis?

A "metastasis" is the medical term for deposits or clumps of tumor cells that are found to have spread away from the primary site or origin of a tumor. An example would be a lung cancer that spreads or "metastasizes" to the liver, brain or lymph nodes. Tumors metastasize by spreading through the...Read More

On Sep 13
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons answered:
What is my pneumonia risk after CABG surgery if I had a blood transfusion?

People who receive red blood cell transfusions during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery are at an increased risk of developing pneumonia. Pneumonia is a known risk following CABG surgery, and developing it has been shown to significantly increase a person’s risk of morbidity and mortality....Read More

On Sep 12
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons answered:
What is pediatric heart disease?

Pediatric heart disease is a term used to describe several different heart conditions in children. The most common type of pediatric heart disease is congenital, meaning that children are born with it. Congenital heart disease (CHD) can exist in adults, but is still considered CHD if the adult was...Read More

On Sep 12
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons answered:
Who should be screened for aortic dissection?

People with a family history of aortic dissection should be screened for it. They are important candidates for preventative screening, with frequent and careful surveillance beginning 10-15 years before the age of the family member who had a dissection. If people are approaching the age at which...Read More

On Aug 26
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons answered:
How serious is aortic dissection?

Aortic dissection is relatively rare, but it can be fatal. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that each year, arotic dissection is the primary or contributing cause in more than 15,000 deaths in the U.S. When an aortic dissection occurs in the first part of the aorta, up to...Read More

On Aug 26
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons answered:
What are the risk factors for aortic dissection?

Risk factors for aortic dissection include:

poorly controlled high blood pressure

injury to the chest

extreme exertion

drug abuse

connective tissue disorders such as Marfan syndrome

family history of arotic dissection

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On Aug 26
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons answered:
Can statins affect how wounds heal after surgery?

Statin therapy may help to improve wound healing in people following cardiac surgery. It may also reduce overall recovery time, especially in people who are prone to healing complications. The types of wounds that may benefit from statin therapy include those resulting from cardiac surgery, such as surgical...Read More

On Aug 16
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons answered:
What is radon and how am I exposed to it?

Radon is a gas produced by the decay of naturally occurring uranium which may be present in minute traces both in dirt and water. This gas is odorless, tasteless and invisible. Radon is everywhere and is found both in outdoor and indoor air. We are all exposed to it on regular basis. Read More

On Aug 15
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons answered:
What is a less-invasive way of treating a thoraco-abdominal aneurysm?

Treating aneurysms of the thoracic and abdominal aorta using a less invasive endovascular approach, where a stent is placed in the aorta through a small incision, appears to have better outcomes among certain patients when compared with more invasive traditional repair, according to a study published...Read More

On Jul 27
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons answered:
Can a genetic test of my lung cancer help with my treatment?

A new genetic test of small lung tumors can help identify highly aggressive lung cancer at a very early stage, according to a study released at the 49th Annual Meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. This test can help physicians offer a personalized cancer prognosis to patients with lung cancer....Read More

On Jul 26
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons answered:
Can a CT scan diagnose lung cancer?

Not exactly. The CT scan is usually obtained after a suspicious spot is seen on a chest x-ray. Doctors can generally "see more" of the chest anatomy with a CT scan than they can with a chest x-ray and may get a better idea of whether a spot is malignant (cancer) or benign (scar or infection). However,...Read More

On Jul 25
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons answered:
How is screening for lung cancer done?

Currently, there are no blood tests that can diagnose lung cancer. Researchers have tried examining sputum or phlegm for tumor cells (it did not work) and are currently trying to analyze exhaled air in hopes of identifying minute traces of biochemicals that might be given off by tumors of the airway. This...Read More

On Jul 25
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Dr. Emily A. Farkas, MD of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons answered:
What is an aortic aneurysm?

An aneurysm is an enlargement in a blood vessel that can occur anywhere in the body. When it occurs in the aorta, the largest blood vessel in the body, it is called an aortic aneurysm. An aneurysm is sometimes referred to as a circumferential ‘swelling’ or ‘dilation’ of the blood vessel. Although the normal
...Read More

On Jul 22
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

What is a Thoracic Surgeon?

Adult Cardiac Surgery

What is Pediatric Heart Disease?

Valve Repair/Replacement Surgery

Aneurysm Surgery

Our Mission

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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons's contact info

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