What are the Diseases that a Cardiothoracic Surgeon can treat? A cardiothoracic surgeon is a professional that specializes in the treatment of disorders related to heart, lungs, oesophagus, and other organs in the chest. Cardiothoracic surgeon is a broad term that can be further classified into cardiac surgeons, cardiovascular surgeons, general thoracic surgeons, and congenital heart surgeons. Not only these surgeons perform surgery, they also diagnose and treat diseases related to these organs.
Cardiothoracic surgery is one of the most challenging areas in the field of medical as most of the illness and deaths occur due to heart or chest related issues. With the help of technology, cardiothoracic surgeons ensure that there all the safety measures are taken during the surgery. Patients are being monitored in intensive care units and are treated for all post-surgery complications as well. The following are few of the diseases that a cardiothoracic surgeon can treat. Coronary artery disease: Building up of a wax like substance known as plaque leading to blockage of blood flow to the heart. This disease can give a sign of chest pain and may be caused due to reasons such as
excessive smoking, pre-existing disorders like diabetes or hypertension. This disease can be treated using CABG which is Coronary Artery Bypass grafting. Heart valve disease: Human heart has four valves and if one of the valve doesn’t function properly then the condition is termed as heart valve disease. This can be only be treated by a surgery. During heart valve surgery, the damaged valve is repaired or replaced. The surgeon will only be able to decide whether the valve has to be replaced or repaired once he begins with the surgery. Lung cancer: Excessive smoking or passive exposure to tobacco can cause lung cancer. Some symptoms of lung cancer include coughing up blood, shortness of breath, or severe chest pain. Lung cancer can be treated by cardiothoracic surgeons by a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. In India one of the best cardiothoracic surgeons is Dr Vijay Dixit, he has been practising since the year 1980 and is a specialist surgeon of Apollo hospitals Hyderabad.