The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

What is a Cardiothoracic 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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Aortic Dissection

Although aortic dissection is relatively uncommon, it is the most frequent emergency related to the human aorta.

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How the STS National Database Has Improved Your Patient Care

The STS National Database was established as a tool to improve the quality of care for heart and lung surgery patients.

Read the blog from Dr. Fred L. Grover

Coronary Artery Disease

Did you know that coronary artery disease is the most common form of heart disease?

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Robotic Surgery

Robotic Operations in Thoracic Surgery: Who Are the Candidates?

Read the blog from Dr. Linda W. Martin

Locate STS Surgeons

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

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STS Public Reporting Online

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 7,300 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

Associated Groups:

CTSurgeryPatients.org

Activity

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has answered a question
On Aug 23

What is peripheral artery disease (PAD)?

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a disease in which plaque builds up in the arteries that carry blood to the head, organs, and limbs. One in 20 Americans over the age of 50 has PAD, according t...
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has answered a question
On Aug 22

How is radon linked to lung cancer?

Scientists first realized there was a relationship between radon and lung cancer when it was noted that workers in uranium mines had an excessively high rate of lung cancer. In fact, it is estimate...
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has answered a question
On Aug 22

What percentage of smokers gets lung cancer?

Smoking is by far the most common cause of lung cancer. If we had 100 people with lung cancer, then at least 85 of them would have been smokers. In fact, in no other disease is there so tight a rel...
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has answered a question
On Aug 21

What are the different types of surgery for lung cancer?

Surgical lung resection, in which part of a lung is removed, can be a safe and effective surgical treatment option for high-risk patients with early stage lung cancer. At three years’ post-su...
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has answered a question
On Aug 20

How common is diabetes?

The increasing prevalence of diabetes is a growing problem worldwide that has many healthcare professionals concerned. In the United States, about 25.6 million adults (11.3 percent) have diabetes. ...
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has answered a question
On Aug 20

What increases my risk for lung cancer?

Lung cancer develops because something damages the lung cell's DNA, the genetic material at the heart of lung cells. Many of these damaged cells die but, very rarely, some gain the ability to m...
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has answered a question
On Aug 20

Can a CT scan help someone at risk for 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 ch...
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has answered a question
On Aug 16

What are the different types of arrhythmia?

There are several different types of arrhythmias, a condition associated with irregular or abnormal heart beat rates. Arrythmia is classified as atrial (arising from the upper chambers of the heart...
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has answered a question
On Aug 15

How is mitral regurgitation treated?

Degenerative mitral valve disease is irreversible, eventually leading to regurgitation (blood leaking backwards through the valve) and heart failure. While surgical treatment of the disease has evo...
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has answered a question
On Aug 10

What are the benefits of exhaled breath for lung cancer diagnoses?

Instead of sending people for invasive biopsy procedures when a suspicious lung mass is identified, research suggests that exhaled breath could identify which people may require an immediate intrao...
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has answered a question
On Aug 10

How important is screening for lung cancer?

Lung cancer screening saves lives. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 221,000 new lung cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2015 in the U.S., and more than 158,000 people will die fr...
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has answered a question
On Aug 10

Can taking vitamins prevent lung cancer?

The concept that vitamins may have an effect on the risk of cancer in general and lung cancer in particular comes from studies that have shown that cancer rates are lower in people who eat a diet h...
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has answered a question
On Aug 10

Are there lung cancer rate differences based on gender?

Lung cancer in women is a different disease than lung cancer in men. Some studies show that women are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of tobacco smoke.
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has answered a question
On Aug 10

How common is lung cancer in women?

It is estimated that 80,000 women in the US will be diagnosed with lung cancer. Unfortunately, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women in the United States and will result in over...
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has answered a question
On Aug 10

How does asbestos cause lung cancer?

Asbestos can cause disease both inside the lung tissue and in the pleura (the lining on the outer surface of the lung and the inner surface of the chest wall). When someone breathes in asbestos fib...
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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

What is a Cardiothoracic Surgeon?

Aortic Dissection

How the STS National Database Has Improved Your Patient Care

Coronary Artery Disease

Robotic Surgery

Our Mission

Associated Groups:

Online:

Links:

Associated Groups

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons's contact info

Activity

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