Thoracic Surgery
American Board of Thoracic Surgery
633 N. Saint Clair Street, Suite 2320
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 202-5900
www.abts.org
Thoracic Surgeons
treat diseased or injured organs in the chest, including the esophagus (the muscular tube that passes food to the stomach), trachea (windpipe), pleura (membranes that cover and protect the lung), mediastinum (area separating the left and right lungs that contains the heart), chest wall, diaphragm (separates the chest from the abdomen), pericardium (membrane covering the heart), heart (including the pericardium, coronary arteries, valves and myocardium) and lungs.
The most common diseases requiring thoracic surgery include heart lesions, such as coronary artery disease and valve problems, lung cancer, chest trauma, esophageal cancer, emphysema, and heart and lung transplantation.
Specialty training required prior to Board Certification – Six to eight years
Subspecialties:
To become certified in the following subspecialty, a physician must be Board Certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and complete additional training as specified by the Member Board.
Congenital Cardiac Surgery
Congenital Cardiac Surgery refers to the procedures that are performed to repair the many types of heart defects that may be present at birth and can occasionally go undiagnosed into adulthood. These may include patching holes between chambers of the heart, improving blood flow to the lungs, or heart and lung transplantation.