Cardiothoracic Surgery refers to operations that treat diseases affecting the heart (cardio) and lungs (thoracic).

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are mesothelioma, lung cancer, congenital heart disease, lung disease, pectus excavatum, thymoma, aortic aneurysm, cardiovascular disease, esophageal carcinoma, pulmonary metastases, chest wall tumors, esophageal diseases, tracheal tumors, malignant pleural effusions, and thoracic neoplasms.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including lobectomy, mediastinoscopy, mitral valve replacement, lung transplantation, ventricular assist device, lung volume reduction, aortic dissection, coronary artery bypass graft (cabg), coronary artery bypass surgery, mitral valve repair, heart transplantation, miniminally invasive surgery (mis), ventricular restoration (dor procedure), video-assisted thoracoscopy (vats), bullectomy, arrhythmia surgery, and thoracic aorta repairs.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including biopsy, x-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (mri), electrocardiogram (ecg or ekg), upper gi (barium swallow), computed axial tomography (ct or cat scan), and physicial examination.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Colorado has 45 practicing cardiothoracic surgeons. Broken out by city, cardiothoracic surgery doctor density in Aurora is 11, in Colorado Springs is 3, in Denver is 30, in Erie is 1, in Fort Collins is 2, in Frisco is 1, in Golden is 1, in Grand Junction is 1, in Greeley is 3, in Greenwood Village is 1, in Longmont is 3, in Pueblo is 2, in Vail is 1, and in Whitewater is 1.

Colorado is the Centennial state; having won statehood in 1876. Its capital is Denver, called the “Mile High City,” because its altitude at the state capitol steps is 5,280 feet. Colorado’s population is 4,653,023, and over half the state’s population is in the Denver metro area. Known for its Rocky Mountains and abundant outdoor sports opportunities, such as skiing, hiking, fishing and hunting, Colorado also offers tourists Pike’s Peak, the Royal Gorge, and the Red Rocks outdoor amphitheater. Denver is home to an active theater culture, a world-class symphony, and many sports activities. You can visit a gold mine, tour the state capitol building, climb a mountain, or relax in some therapeutic natural hot springs.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Colorado has a population of 4,665,177. Of this population, 1,140,002 are under the age of 18 and 462,190 are at or above the age of 65.