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Thoracic Surgeon |
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Description If you need surgery for a condition of the chest, including diseases of the lungs, trachea, esophagus, diaphragm, chest wall, heart and thymus gland, you will require the services of a general thoracic surgeon. Thoracic surgeons are physicians expert in the surgical treatment of diseases of the chest, heart, and lungs. Thoracic surgeons work closely with colleagues, such as cardiovascular surgeons, to ensure that you return home with instructions for appropriate incision care, pain management, exercise and other activities of daily living. The lungs and heart are precious organs that keep us alive. Yet so many people neglect caring for their lungs, engaging in detrimental habits and poor lifestyle choices. Did you know that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the US? If you smoke, are obese, have diabetes or have high cholesterol, then your risks for contracting lung and heart diseases are high. But thoracic surgeons - specialists who diagnose and treat lung and chest diseases - encourage people to quit smoking, start exercising and eat healthier, which will result in a healthier heat and lifestyle. Thoracic surgeons concentrate solely on one of the following three categories: general thoracic surgery, cardiac surgery or congenital heart surgery. General thoracic surgeons focus on treatments for lung cancer, emphysema, esophageal swallowing problems, esophageal cancer and gastroesophageal reflux. Thoracic cardiac surgeons manage diseases of the blood supply to the heart, heart valves and the arteries and veins in the chest. Congenital heart surgery specialists practice medicine directed towards the correction of heart defects, and furnishing cardiovascular support to infants and children. Thoracic surgeons perform operations on the lungs and heart. There are a number of different types of operations, including transplants, or bypasses of blocked coronary arteries. They also operate on birth defects of the chest and heart, tumors in the organs contained in the chest cavity, and lung and heart transplants. Sound complicated? Well these conditions are a bit complicated as they all center on the lungs, heart and chest. If a person's lungs or heart condition poses a significant risk to their health and livelihood, surgery is the preferred method of treatment. Thoracic surgeons often perform lung transplants. Since the first operation was successfully completed, many different improvements and variations in techniques have been developed. Technology in lung transplants has come a long way in recent years and is constantly moving forward. Thoracic surgeons also perform bypass surgery with cardiovascular surgeons and open-heart surgery; a procedure done through a small incision over the heart to access the coronary arteries. The job can be very rewarding if your patient's survival and health rates improve from surgery. However, due to the complexity of the operations they perform, there is also the risk of heart failure, therefore there is a definite level of emotion involved in this career. |
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Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, http://www.bls.gov/ooh/ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment Statistics, 2002, http://www.bls.gov/oes/2002/oes_nat.htm |
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