Sometimes it is so confusing to look through a list of services provided for a medical center and try to determine what it all means. For instance, what is cardiothoracic surgery and who performs it and why?
By going to the trusty internet or not so trusty at times, Wikipedia states that; "Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of diseases affecting the organs inside the thorax or 'the chest'. Generally treatment of conditions of the heart and lungs." It then goes on to say that they are surgical specialties but are frequently grouped together as cardiothoracic surgery, mostly in the United States.
Now it gets confusing as it states that cardiac refers to surgery of the heart and great vessels and thoracic surgery refers to surgery of the chest other than the heart and a cardiothoracic surgeon will perform surgery within the realm of both cardiac and thoracic surgery. Even if this doesn't necessarily makes sense, what is important is that you find the best surgeon for whatever ails you and trust that they know what they are doing.
One thing that sets them in a class by themselves is the use of robotic heart surgery to provide the absolute best in cardiac surgery. By having the surgeon control a robot in surgery, the surgeon has a much finer control of the operating tools thereby making smaller incisions, causing less blood loss, resulting in quicker healing time and a much better outcome for the patient is possible.
Some people may find robot assisted surgery a little confusing also. It is the use of a robot holding the surgical tools which allow a more precise cut than when the same tool is used in a surgeon's hand. This is not to say that surgeons aren't as good as a robot but it is to say that it is just a tool and it definitely allows the surgeon to use other methods previously not available. The robot is called the da Vinci robot and the success has been wonderful for both the cardiac surgical team but even more so for the patients. Does it really matter if you understand how the robot works, just like understanding the word cardiothoracic?
No, it's not in the understanding that allows a patient to have a successful operation; it's in the performance of the surgeon, be it with human hands or with robot assisted hands. If you listen to the medical community and the ratings they give the Riverside Medical Center and more importantly the Rush-riverside Heart Center then you can build some confidence in the fact that they know what they are doing to your cardio system inside your thoracic area. Whether you are interested in cardiothoracic surgery or want to find about more the da Vinci robot used in surgery, check out RiversideHealthcare.org. Riverside Medical Center is one of the top hospitals in Illinois.
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