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. Indiana has 145 practicing cardiothoracic surgeons. Broken out by city, cardiothoracic surgery doctor density in Auburn is 1, in Beech Grove is 3, in Bloomington is 2, in Boonville is 1, in Carmel is 1, in Clinton is 1, in Columbus is 5, in Connersville is 2, in Crown Point is 2, in East Chicago is 3, in Elkhart is 5, in Evansville is 10, in Fishers is 1, in Fort Wayne is 16, in Gary is 3, in Greencastle is 1, in Hammond is 10, in Indianapolis is 43, in Jeffersonville is 4, in Kokomo is 1, in La Porte is 5, in Lafayette is 3, in Madison is 2, in Merrillville is 16, in Michigan City is 5, in Muncie is 2, in Munster is 14, in New Albany is 14, in Princeton is 2, in Richmond is 6, in South Bend is 5, in Terre Haute is 5, in Valparaiso is 10, in Vincennes is 1, and in Winchester is 3.

Indiana’s population is 6,271,973, and most of the state’s population is located in the north, near the Lake Michigan shoreline, and is part of the greater metro Chicago area. Indiana became a state in 1816, and boasts many historical sites and covered bridges, numerous state parks and forests, hunting and fishing, and a variety of golf courses. Centrally located Indianapolis is home to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, hosting the world-famous 500-mile auto race every year. This capital and largest city of Indiana also hosts a Civil War museum, a planetarium, and the Indiana Historical Society, among many other attractions.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Indiana has a population of 6,271,973. Of this population, 1,566,280 are under the age of 18 and 774,303 are at or above the age of 65.