As Thanksgiving approaches and we reflect on what we are grateful for at CTVS, seeing our patients thrive is definitely at the top of our list. 67-year-old Freddie Martinez is one of those patients. He has been under the care of board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. William Kessler since 2011 when he underwent emergency surgery for [...]
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month when CTVS is committed to raising awareness about this serious, life-threatening disease. We also want to take a closer look at ways to both prevent and effectively treat it. According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the second most common form of cancer, but the first leading [...]
The mitral valve is a small but very important element of the heart that helps to ensure blood is flowing in the correct direction throughout the body. If it becomes damaged or weakened, due to conditions such as regurgitation (a leaky valve) or stenosis (a narrowed valve), it may need to be replaced. Transcatheter mitral [...]
During a surgery in the operating room (OR), everyone has a clearly defined role as to what their unique contributions will be for the procedure. The surgical team is made up of surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, a variety of technicians, physician assistants (PA), and sometimes medical residents or students who all work in harmony to ensure [...]
According to the Society for Vascular Surgery, Peripheral Artery Disease (or PAD) is a chronic circulatory condition that affects up to 10 million Americans. September is PAD Awareness Month and CTVS aims to educate people about this condition in hopes of driving those numbers down. PAD can be a serious condition that causes narrowing of [...]
Board-certified thoracic surgeon, Dr. Rachel Medbery, treats a condition known as pectus excavatum, a chest wall deformity that causes a person’s breastbone to sink inward. It’s also referred to ‘funnel chest’ and is more common in boys than girls. Pectus deformities are the most common chest wall defect and occur in approximately 1 of every 150-1,000 [...]
CTVS board certified cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Jeffrey McNeil was recently the first surgeon in Austin and Central Texas to repair a complex thoracic aneurysm with a new FDA-approved device. This was the patient’s second lifesaving aortic procedure performed by a CTVS surgeon. The first procedure was an emergency lifesaving surgery for an acute type A dissection, which [...]
In the United States, someone suffers from a stroke every 40 seconds while someone dies every three to four minutes. Yet, up to 80% of strokes are preventable. CTVS vascular surgeons are using a newer, less invasive procedure, TransCarotid Artery Revascularization (TCAR), that can help prevent a stroke in patients with a known carotid artery [...]
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and premature death in the United States, killing more than 480,000 people each year and costing more than $300 billion annually on smoking related illness. As more people understand that smoking can lead to considerable damage on every organ and system throughout the body, some have [...]
Two Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons (CTVS) physicians have been named 2022 Super Doctors Rising Stars in the July issue of Texas Monthly magazine. Congratulations to vascular surgeon David Nation, M.D. and cardiothoracic surgeon Brendan Dewan, M.D. on this special recognition! Dr. David Nation specializes in all areas of endovascular and vascular surgery. His special interests [...]
