New Brunswick, one of Canada’s eastern maritime provinces is struggling to maintain their thoracic surgery service line within the small province of an estimated 800, 000 inhabitants. While a local hospital […]
Act differently or watch thoracic surgery die

Dr. Eric Lim challenges thoracic surgeons to remain relevant with a call to action at the 3rd VATS International conference in London, England
Why you should have your thoracic surgery at the university affiliated hospital

While working on a recent interview with one of the New Masters of Thoracic Surgery, I talked about one of his biggest contributions to his local community, which was establishing the first […]
Fast track thoracic surgery: Non-intubated minimally invasive surgery for complex procedures

Single port thoracoscopic surgery and awake anesthesia: the micro-invasive thoracic surgery? The current research and use of these state of the art techniques to bring minimally invasive surgery to complex surgery and high risk patients.
Interview with the Brazilian Society of Thoracic Surgery

Thoracics.org talks to the Brazilian Society of Thoracic Surgery and result isn’t what you might expect.
As Florida’s population booms, surgeon shortage becomes acute

As the Florida legislature and medical community considers the impending physician shortage, many of the critical concerns regarding the on-going shortage of surgeons remain unaddressed
Single port surgery conference in Berlin
the latest trailer about the documentary film on single port surgery and information about an upcoming training course.
Thoracic surgeon shortage in Australia

When you need surgery, How long will you wait? (and will there be anyone to perform the operation?) The on-going surgeon shortage now affecting South Australia.
Dr. Gonzalez Rivas, Johnson & Johnson and Single-port thoracic surgery

the 2013 S.W.A.T conference, presented by Johnson & Johnson. Featured presenters Dr. Diego Gonzalez Rivas and Dr. Paula Ugalde discuss single port thoracoscopy and topics in minimally invasive surgery
Bilateral surgery using a unilateral single-port approach: the Chen technique
a sneak peak at a game-changer in thoracic surgery – unilateral single-port surgery for bilateral disease
The cowboys and rodeo stars of thoracic surgery
Discussing Dr. Joseph Coselli and ‘the cowboys of cardiac surgery’ along with some of our own heros of thoracic surgery here at Cirugia de Torax.
Thoracic surgery shortage worsens as graduates fail to pass exams
a record number of surgeons fail to pass the American thoracic surgery certification exam, in the midst of a deepening shortage of surgeons.
Awake Epidural Anesthesia for thoracoscopic pleurodesis

Awake epidural anesthesia for thoracoscopic pleurodesis: A prospective cohort study. a new publication from Dr. Mauricio Velasquez and his surgical team reviewing results from their 36 month study
TedTalks about the New Masters of Thoracic Surgery
TedTalks sits up and takes notice of one of the New Masters and Superstars of modern thoracic surgery, Dr. Diego Gonzalez Rivas.
Evolving thoracic surgery: from open surgery to single port thoracoscopic surgery and future robotic
the future of thoracic surgery as seen by one of the New Masters, Dr. Diego Gonzalez Rivas.
Surgeon shortage to hit rural areas the hardest
the latest predictions on the impending shortage of surgeons in the United States
“General Thoracic Surgery” is thoracic surgery
what is the future of thoracic surgery education? A new American study asks the if it is time to separate the specialties of cardiac and thoracic surgery.
Single port thoracoscopy for wedge resection – does size matter?

Dr. Chen discusses single port thoracoscopy – and specimen size.
Single-port thoracoscopy as a first-line approach & the “Chen esophagectomy”

Dr. Chih-Hao Chen at Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taiwan talks about his experiences with single port/ single incision thoracic surgery (SITS) as well as the “Chen esophagectomy”; a new single port approach to esophagectomies.
Dual port VATS for recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax: Foroulis et. al
A newly published study comparing dual port thoracoscopy with mini-thoracotomy for the treatment of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax
Block, Tuffier, Blalock & Gonzalez? Returning to single incision thoracoscopic surgery with Dr. Diego Gonzalez – Rivas
Checking in with Dr. Diego Gonzalez – Rivas and his team in Coruna, Spain – the innovators in single incision thoracic surgery, as Dr. Gonzalez publishes a new report on single incision pneumonectomy.
Thoracic Surgery Training
Reviewing the literature regarding training in thoracic surgery
Rising debts and decreased employment opportunities: the American landscape of thoracic surgery
$200,000 & counting: the escalating educational debt of thoracic surgery residents in the United States. Presenting the results of the 2010 Workforce Survey Report (Sarkaria et. al). Despite impending surgeon shortages of catastrophic proportions today’s new surgeons are unable to find full-time employment.
Talking with William Serpa about the da Vinci robot
a sit down interview with William Serpa of Intuitive Surgical to discuss RATS (robot-assisted thoracic surgery) with the da Vinci robot.
Not enough surgeons = not enough surgery for lung cancer patients in the UK
a new article in The Guardian – discusses the impact of the shortage of thoracic surgeons in the United Kingdom – and estimates that 1500 people die annually because of the lack of available surgeons.
Robotic Surgery training centers
Where do thoracic surgeons go to learn robotic surgery techniques?
Surgery for pleural infection: Empyema
second in a series of articles questioning whether thoracic surgery remains a relevant treatment for pleural diseases – as discussed in an article by Davies et. al.
Pulmonology throws down the gauntlet..
Evaluation and discussion of a new article by Davies et. al. (2011) which calls many of the current practices in thoracic surgery into question. Is this a legitimate assessment of evolving treatment strategies or another attempt for pulmonology to encroach on the thoracic surgery specialty? In this multi-part series, we will address the major points debated in this article.
Dual port thoracoscopy for diaphragmatic plication with Dr. Edgard Gutierrez Puente
Talking with the energetic and innovative Colombian surgeon, Dr. Edgard Gutierrez Puentes.
SITS lobectomy with Dr. Diego Gonzalez
Discussion of a case report by Gonzalez, Paradela, Garcia & Dela Torre (2011) of a lobectomy by single incision thoracoscopic surgery.
Cytoreductive Surgery with Intraoperative Hyperthermic Intrathoracic Chemotherapy
An introduction to cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy administrative for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma.
The Future of Thoracic Surgery
What is the future of thoracic surgery? Who are our brightest and best young surgeons? Who are the upcoming surgeons of tomorrow?