Faculty

Dr. (Col) S.K. Chadha
(Chairperson)
Dr. S. Agarwal 
Dr. Tarun Grover 

The Department of Thoracic Surgery is a new clinical department within the section of Surgical Sciences. The Department has been established to recognise the robust and dynamic growth in general thoracic surgery and to advance patient care through rapid developments in clinical and basic research within a multidisciplinary environment. We provide a patient (and family) friendly environment with excellence in patient care, access to innovative therapy through clinical trials, multidisciplinary evaluation as needed, and processes for continuous improvement in quality and outcomes of therapy. Our faculty focus efforts in didactic and practical graduate medical education. Academic activities in clinical trials and transnational research allow for rapid 'bench-to-bedside' application of novel therapeutics. These efforts advance our care of patients, and the specialty of Thoracic Surgery for the benefit of all.

The department and its faculty provide operative, perioperative, and critical care for all diseases of the thorax (chest), including

• Early and locally advanced lung cancer

• Pretreatment staging of thoracic neoplasms

• Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) & video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS)

• Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS, emphysema surgery)

• Oesophageal carcinoma

• Management of complex esophageal diseases (complications of Gastroesophageal reflux, neuromotor diseases, etc.)

• Tracheal tumors and airway management

• Malignant pleural effusions

• Mesothelioma and other malignant pleural diseases

• Chest wall tumors and chest wall deformities (pectus excavatus)

• Pulmonary metastases

• Mediastinal tumors (thymoma)

• Surgery for Pediatric lung disease (Congenital Lobar Emphysema)

• Surgery for Haemoptysis

Pre-operative assessment and diagnosis is optimised by state-of-the-art spiral CT scan and Imaging department. We are equipped with ultra modern dedicated operation suite with 24 hours available dedicated team. All patients in post-operative period are monitored in ICU with the facility of round the clock monitoring, ventilatory support, arterial blood gases (ABG) and fibreoptic bronchoscopy. Patients present to the department with different symptoms as fever, pain in chest, difficulty in breathing (dyspnoea) or bleeding on coughing (Haemoptysis).

After thorough examination and investigations like X-ray and CT- Scan of chest, different problems are diagnosed, as fluid, pus or blood in chest, part of lung or whole lung affected by disease as tuberculosis or cancer and sometimes tumour in lung.

The department performs routinely all types of chest surgery for removal of thick pus (thoracotomy), a part of lung or whole lung and tumour (lobectomy or pneumonectomy). Some asthmatic patients require lung volume reduction surgery to relieve their symptoms. With the advancement of modernisation cases of road traffic accident (RTA) has increased manifold. Patients come to casualty with rib fractures on both sides of chest with lung injury. These patients are kept in ICU for management with state of the art facility with modern ventilatory support after chest tube placement. Quite frequently new born children come with difficulty in breathing who are diagnosed as part of lung not working by birth (Congenital lobar emphysema) so emergency surgery is performed as a life saving procedure. In addition to routine thoracic surgery the recent introduction of thoracoscopic surgical procedures has reduced the in-hospital stay and avoids large operation scars.

The faculty and staff in the department have developed these programs of care through a refined understanding of cancer biology and thoracic pathophysiology, advances in patient care, and improvements in operative management. Expertise in counselling patients, families, and physicians in strategies for re-operative or complex thoracic diseases, selection and access to clinical investigations (clinical trials) for novel therapy, and implementation of multidisciplinary disease site teams (thoracic surgery, thoracic medical oncology, pulmonary medicine, nursing, physical rehabilitation, social work, and others) optimise pre-treatment planning. The department is committed to excellence in patient care by continuously improving clinical services, application of novel scholarly activities in clinical and basic research, and medical education for students, residents, and practicing physicians. We emphasise timely and excellent patient services, academic achievement through research and clinical investigations, education of others, and health services research in thoracic surgery. We will enable our faculty and staff to provide this care and meet the unique and individual needs of our patients and their families by ensuring access to specialty thoracic surgical care, excellent quality of clinical and academic outcomes, and close relationships with our referring physicians to ensure continuity of care in the patient's home community.

As faculty, we anticipate a close partnership with physicians and patients in providing care for patients and their families.

The department sends a message to the public to wear seat belts while driving a car and to avoid smoking, as it damages the lungs.