Exploring the Specialized World of Thoracic Surgery: From Lung Cancer to Chest Trauma
Thoracic Surgery is a specialized field in medicine that focuses on the surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax, but typically excluding the heart. The thoracic cavity comprises the chest and its contents, including the lungs, esophagus, trachea, bronchi, chest wall, and diaphragm. Though once considered a subspecialty of general surgery, it has grown over the decades into its own comprehensive discipline due to advancements in surgical techniques, medical technology, and understanding of related diseases.
Thoracic surgeons deal with a wide variety of conditions ranging from lung cancer and esophageal cancer to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), tumors in the chest, pneumothorax (collapsed lung), lung transplants, achalasia (esophageal disorder), hiatal hernias, and chest trauma among others. They may also treat conditions that involve the chest wall, such as chest wall tumors and deformities.
Thoracic surgeons use different procedures to treat these conditions, such as thoracotomy (open chest surgery), video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), robotic-assisted thoracic surgery, lung transplantation, esophagectomy (removal of the esophagus), tracheal resection (removal of the trachea), and stenting of trachea and esophagus.
To become a thoracic surgeon, a medical degree followed by a residency in general surgery is indispensable, and then further specialized training in Thoracic surgery is required. This can take around six to eight years.
These surgeons work in a variety of settings including hospitals, clinics, and academic medical centers. Like other surgeons, they also work long, irregular hours and may be on call for emergencies.
As with any major surgical procedure, thoracic surgeries have associated risks and complications, some of which are, infection, bleeding, reactions to anesthesia, and damage to nearby organs and tissues. Therefore, the role of a thoracic surgeon includes not only operative care but also preoperative patient evaluation and postoperative management.
