When Jimmy Caddell turned 60, he celebrated, like so many of us do, with a big meal surrounded by family – nothing unusual for a man who loves good food and good company. But that night, something felt off. Lying flat in bed suddenly made it hard to breathe. His blood pressure spiked, and he [...]
If you’ve been diagnosed with a serious condition in your chest, your primary care doctor or specialist may refer you to a thoracic surgeon for expert evaluation and treatment. What is a thoracic surgeon? A thoracic surgeon is a doctor who performs surgery on the organs inside the chest including the lungs, esophagus, and airway. [...]
Spontaneous pneumothorax, or a collapsed lung, is a dangerous condition that is suffered more frequently by men than women, according to the NIH: National Institutes of Health. What is spontaneous pneumothorax? Spontaneous pneumothorax refers to a collapsed lung, or portion of the lung. It occurs when air leaks out of the lungs into the space [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
At CTVS, our team of board-certified thoracic surgeons routinely perform a procedure known as a thoracic sympathectomy to treat hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating. During this surgery, part of the sympathetic chain of nerves that runs along the spine is carefully severed to halt signals that trigger the sweat glands. Now, thoracic sympathectomy is increasingly being [...]
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 [...]
The American Cancer Society expects that roughly 20,000 new cases of esophageal cancer will be diagnosed this year. Many of those cases will prove fatal if not detected and treated early. As April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month, CTVS urges everyone to become educated about the symptoms associated with this devastating, but treatable disease. The [...]
Sweating is normal, and it helps the body release heat and cool itself. But some people sweat excessively, beyond warm temperatures and their environmental surroundings whether they are exerting energy or not. This condition is known as hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis may be the result of stress or a genetic factor and is triggered by the body’s [...]
