Why choose a board certified thoracic surgeon?
A thoracic surgeon has dedicated his entire career to taking care of the problem you have. It takes as long as 16 years for a thoracic surgeon to start his career. After graduating from college he attended 4 years of medical school and then completed a challenging five-year general surgery program.
Once completed he applies for a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery. This is usually a two or three year program teaching the fundamentals of adult cardiac surgery, pediatric cardiac surgery, and general thoracic surgery. During this time he must pass his general surgery boards to be board eligible in thoracic surgery. This is followed by written and oral exams specifically related to cardiothoracic surgery.
Because of the huge volume of knowledge in each discipline, most physicians decide to specialize in one of the three areas. The majority of graduating physicians go into adult cardiac surgery. This usually consists of heart bypass surgery, valve replacement, pacemakers, and surgery on the great vessels. A few go into pediatric heart surgery to work with infants and children.
Still others, such as the physicians in our group, have decided to specialize only in general thoracic surgery. They operate on patients with lung and esophageal cancers and other diseases related to the chest. They coordinate your care as the team leader among oncologists and radiation specialists in multidisciplinary formats. They evaluate if you are a candidate for participation in clinical trials. They possess the diagnostic tools required for your workup, surgical skill to perform the operation, and the knowledge to guide your post-operative care and long-term follow-up.
The physicians at Albany Thoracic and Esophageal Surgeons, P. C. have dedicated themselves to providing comprehensive and compassionate surgical care to patients who have a disease process related to the chest.