Renowned NJ-Based Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) Team Completes 5,000th Successful...( VATS Procedure Pioneers Thoracic ...)

VATS Procedure Pioneers, Thoracic Group, P.A., Deliver Faster Recovery, Fewer Complications for Patients Requiring Chest Surgery

SOMERSET, N.J., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Thoracic Group, P.A. (http://www.thoracicgroup.com), a provider of general thoracic surgical services and a national leader of minimally-invasive video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), has announced the successful completion of its 5,000th VATS surgical procedure. Highly beneficial in its ability to reduce incision size, hospital stay, associated complications and related chronic chest pain as compared to traditional open chest surgery (i.e., thoracotomy), this specific technique employs just four minimal incisions and allows surgeons to execute a variety of chest procedures via videoscope. Led by VATS pioneers Robert J. Caccavale, M.D. and Jean-Philippe Bocage, M.D., Thoracic Group, P.A. began employing the technique in 1990 and currently uses it in over 99 percent of its procedures.

Used to operate on the lung, mediastinum and pleura to treat conditions such as cancer, pneumothorax, infection and cysts, VATS provides patients with significant, measurable benefits including:

-- Just four one inch incisions (a traditional thoracotomy requires an incision of 10-14 inches as well as unavoidable rib injury and muscle damage)

-- An approximated two day hospital stay (patients of a typical thoracotomy require stays of 7-10 days)

-- An 80 percent reduction in recovery time as compared to the traditional thoracotomy

-- A significantly reduced complication rate due to minimal invasion (less than five percent of VATS patients experience post-surgery complications compared to 30 percent of thoracotomy patients)

"The completion of our 5,000th VATS procedure is a significant milestone not only for our practice and the medical community but also for the scores of people who suffer from an array of thor
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