The esophagus is the tubular muscle that facilitates swallowing and connects the mouth to the stomach. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 22,000 new cases of esophageal cancer diagnosed this year, and more than half of those will result in death. As April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month, our team of [...]
The mediastinum is an area in the chest located between the lungs in the middle of your thoracic cavity. Residing inside the mediastinum are the heart, aorta, esophagus, trachea, lymph nodes, and a small organ called the thymus. In rare cases, abnormal cells can develop in the mediastinum and a mass forms. This is known [...]
It’s hard to believe that every six minutes someone dies from a blood clot here in the United States. Blood clots are gel-like masses that form inside your arteries or veins anywhere in the body. Blood clots are unfortunately hard to recognize, but because March is Blood Clot Awareness Month, our team of board-certified cardiothoracic [...]
At CTVS, our thoracic surgeons treat conditions affecting the esophagus including the most serious issue – esophageal cancer – and benign foregut disease like acid reflux (or GERD) and achalasia. What is GERD? GERD stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease, or more commonly acid reflux, and refers to the occurrence of stomach acid routinely flowing backwards [...]
February is American Heart Month and we are highlighting some of the important therapies we work with often to aid in repairing and/or extend the life of the heart. Our board-certified cardiothoracic surgeons perform procedures day in and day out to improve heart health and save lives. Some of these include administering technologies such as [...]
Lung cancer is the second most common form of cancer in the United States, with approximately 125,000 lives estimated to be lost this year. Because its symptoms are commonly associated with so many other conditions, like a cough and chest pain, lung cancer can be hard to diagnose. At CTVS, we are proponents of early [...]
35-year-old Tamara Fort is an ICU nurse and what many would consider the epitome of good health. She lifts weights three to four times a week and watches her nutrition closely. She isn’t someone you would consider to be at risk for heart disease. But for the past two years, she experienced shortness of breath, [...]
We are humbled and honored to begin the new year with recognition from our peers in the local Austin medical community. CTVS is pleased to share that several members of our team of our board-certified cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons have been named to Austin Monthly magazine’s Top Doctors list for 2024. Our CTVS physicians recognized [...]
CTVS is proud to announce that Dr. Stephen J. Dewan has been honored as this year’s Travis County Medical Society Physician of the Year for 2023. The Travis County Medical Society (TCMS) is a professional society of more than 4,000 physician members in and around Austin who are dedicated to causes affecting the local medical [...]
At this time of year we reflect on all that we are grateful for as a practice, and among those are always the accolades we receive from our medical peers and the patients who we serve. To that end, once again, CTVS is proud to announce that several of our physicians have been named as [...]
