Cardiothoracic Surgery

Skilled Cardiothoracic Surgeons in Washington, DC

We offer comprehensive and personal clinical and diagnostic evaluation of the disease condition specific to each individual patient lead by Dr. Gregory D. Trachiotis, professor of surgery, chief, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and chief, Cardiac Surgery, Veterans Affairs Medical Center/VISN-5. Our services include:

Cardiac Surgery:

• Coronary Revascularization
• Off-pump CABG (OPCAB), beating heart operative strategies
• Heart Failure
• Ischemic Cardiomyopathy
• Advanced Cardiopulmonary bypass techniques (mini-CPB)
• Valve repair/replacement
• Aortic reconstruction
• Atrial fibrillation corrective surgery (radiofrequency ablation)
• Research based and secondary preventive postoperative long-term core strategies

Thoracic Surgery:

• Endoscopy
• Staging of lung and esophageal cancer
• Minimally invasive thoracic surgery (VATS)
• Microbiotic applications to lung and esophageal disorders
• Thoracic oncology - lung and esophageal
• Esophageal motility disorder (Achalasia)
• Symphathectomy - thoracic
• Thymic surgery
• Thoracoahdominal approach to neurological or orthopaedic disorders

Thoracic Oncology

We offer several treatment options such as minimally invasive thoracic surgery (VATS), and minimal access thoracic surgery, and cardiac surgery. Specific diseases conditions treated with a multi-disciplinary team (Thoracic Oncology) approach, include lung and esophageal cancers.

Special Clinical Problems:

• Cardiac and Thoracic diseases in HIV, AIDS Patients
• Sleep Disorders (Sleep Apnea) in Cardiovascular disease

We also treat conditions such as dysmotility (Achalasia) or hiatal hernia or reflux of the esophagus. Many of these treatments are co-managed with our laparoscopic team.

We offer a specialized team approach to diseases of the spine with our colleagues in Orthopaedics, Neurosurgery and Pain Management, offering critical thoracic approaches to these disorders. Our cardiac surgery offers detailed exams and state-of–the art approaches to coronary artery bypass surgery (80% are performed on the beating heart or OPCAB), aortic and mitral valve disease, mitral valve repair, and diseases of the aortic root, and aortic aneurysms, including thoracic aorta endograph (TEVAR).

All cardiac and thoracic surgery in the operating room are conducted with specialty trained cardiovascular anesthesiologists that use specialized monitoring equipment and management strategies to minimize postoperative pain and to facilitate early recovery. Special clinical treatments in HIV/AIDS patients, and sleep disorders (sleep apnea) in cardiovascular disease, and hyperhidrosis (sympathectomy), and specific research treatments in hypertension, and heart failure are also featured protocols.

Thoracic Cancer Care Program

Lung & Other Chest Cancer Treatments in Washington, DC

At The Medical Faculty Associates (MFA), the thoracic care program consists of specialists in the medical and surgical field of oncology to offer state-of-the-art treatment for patients with cancers of the lung, esophagus, chest wall, heart, and other disease conditions of the thorax. Our care goes beyond treatment, to offer smoking cessation, nutritional guidance, and social and personal support throughout treatment and beyond. Our cancer care program focuses on the individual patient, and our team emphasizes treatment strategies that attempt to maximize quality service, comfort, and compassion. With the team's guidance through the care process, the emphasis and importance of personalized medicine is maintained and a care plan is structured for the right patient in a timely fashion.

Clinical Conditions

A major focus in our cancer care program is the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the United States. Despite treatment advances, lung cancer survival remains as low as 14% at 5 years, mostly because of late diagnosis or advanced stages. Early lung cancer, when the tumor is small (< 3cm) or Stage I, may lead to a 5 year survival exceeding 70-80%. Therefore, a prompt diagnosis and management of early lung cancer manifesting as a solitary pulmonary nodule is the best chance for cure.

A solitary pulmonary nodule is defined as a single, discrete pulmonary opacity (density) seen on a chest x-ray (CXR) or computerized chest tomogram (chest CT) or positron emission tomography (PET scan), that is less than 3cm in diameter and surrounded by normal lung tissue. A solitary pulmonary nodule can be due to a variety of causes, but in general about 95% of these small nodules will be a new lung cancer, granuloma (infectious), or a benign lung tumor, and each will require therapy.

Cancer Surgery

At our cancer care center, in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, a thoracic surgeon will be able to evaluate, review, and determine a guided treatment strategy for any patient referred or newly discovered pulmonary nodule on an imaging study. This comprehensive care will be individualized to each patient, and will provide all necessary radiology, oncology, pulmonary, or thoracic surgery therapies, including follow up and support plans.

Types of conditions we treat:

• Lung cancer
• Mediastinal cancer
• Tumors of the thymus or thymic cancers
• Metastatic cancer to the lungs
• Non-small cell cancer 
• Small cell cancer
• Pleural cancer
• Malignant pleural effusions
• Airway cancers
• Tracheal cancer
• Tumors of the chest wall
• Tumors of the esophagus
• Esophageal cancer
• Tumors of the thoracic spines
• Tumors of the heart
• Cardiac tumors
• Tumors of the heart valves
• Malignant pericardial effusions
• Tumors of the nerve roots or posterior mediastinal nerve tumors

Our treatment team includes:

• Thoracic Surgeon
• Thoracic Physician Assistant
• Thoracic Nurse Navigator
• Medical Oncology
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Radiation Oncology
• Radiology
• Interventional Radiology
• Research staff
• Social work and support staff
• New patient coordinator

Contact Information

For a new patient, or referral, or a newly discovered thoracic cancer or solitary pulmonary nodule, please contact the patient coordinator, Jina Clayborne, in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, at (202) 741-3220.