Cardiothoracic Surgery. Heart or Lungs?

[NotYY4U]

I understand that in the US cardiac and thoracic surgery are the same residency/fellowship as opposed to some other countries. My question is do CT Surgeons in the US typically work on the heart, lungs and esophagus? Or do they branch off at some point?

For example will a CT surgeon have a CABG one day a pulmonary lobectomy another day and removal of an esophageal tumor the next day? This seems like a lot of ground to cover!

I have always wondered how this works...

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

I understand that in the US cardiac and thoracic surgery are the same residency/fellowship as opposed to some other countries. My question is do CT Surgeons in the US typically work on the heart, lungs and esophagus? Or do they branch off at some point?

For example will a CT surgeon have a CABG one day a pulmonary lobectomy another day and removal of an esophageal tumor the next day? This seems like a lot of ground to cover!

I have always wondered how this works...

That could happen, though you typically see surgeons that do:

1. All cardiac
2. Mostly cardiac and some lungs
3. Lungs and esophagus

It's rare, but you may see some surgeons that do primarily lungs that will occasionally do cardiac surgeries.

 

[Medstart108]

I understand that in the US cardiac and thoracic surgery are the same residency/fellowship as opposed to some other countries. My question is do CT Surgeons in the US typically work on the heart, lungs and esophagus? Or do they branch off at some point?

For example will a CT surgeon have a CABG one day a pulmonary lobectomy another day and removal of an esophageal tumor the next day? This seems like a lot of ground to cover!

I have always wondered how this works...

I think in the community this can still happen, but in academic centers this is less and less common. You even have some really old school surgeons in the community who do cardiac, vascular and thoracic but they are truly a dying breed. Especially with the more complex cases in each specialty you tend to see more dedicated cardiac or thoracic surgeons doing them.

In terms of younger surgeons I think most generally choose to mainly do one or the other, especially those interested in academics.

 

[TypeADissection]

That could happen, though you typically see surgeons that do:

1. All cardiac
2. Mostly cardiac and some lungs
3. Lungs and esophagus

It's rare, but you may see some surgeons that do primarily lungs that will occasionally do cardiac surgeries.

That's basically how it is here. The thoracic guy stays very much in that realm and does zero cardiac work. The cardiac guys would like to do all cardiac but dabble in the "easier" thoracic stuff because the thoracic guy is busy with bigger lung and esophagus cases.