Cardiothoracic Surgeons of CT

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

Diseases / Illnesses Treated
Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are Mesothelioma, lung cancer , Aortic aneurysm, thymoma, Congenital heart disease , pectus excavatum , cardiovascular disease, lung disease, Esophageal carcinoma, Chest wall tumors, Malignant pleural effusions, thoracic neoplasms, Pulmonary metastases, esophageal diseases, and Tracheal tumors.

Procedures Performed
Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including Lobectomy, Ventricular assist device, Mediastinoscopy, lung transplantation, Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG), Mitral valve repair, lung volume reduction, mitral valve replacement, Heart Transplantation, Aortic dissection, arrhythmia surgery, Ventricular Restoration (Dor Procedure), Miniminally invasive surgery (MIS), Video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS), Bullectomy, and thoracic aorta repairs.

Tests Performed
To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including biopsy, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), x-ray, Computed Axial Tomography (CT or CAT Scan), Upper GI (Barium Swallow), and physicial examination.

Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax (the chest). Generally treatment of conditions of the heart (heart disease) and lungs (lung disease).

Thoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in the surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax (the chest). Generally treatment of conditions of the lungs, chest wall, and diaphragm.

Thoracic surgery is often grouped with cardiac surgery and called cardiothoracic surgery.


Cardiothoracic Surgeons CT

Henry B.C. Low, M.D.
Following completion of his studies at the School of Medicine, St. John’s University, in Shanghai, China in 1949, Dr. Low completed his extensive postgraduate training in the United States. In 1952, he joined Hartford Hospital’s Medical Staff where he served as a resident in Pathology, followed by a residency in Surgery.  In 1957, Dr. Low trained as a Fellow in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia, and in 1958 joined the U.S. Army, where he served as a captain in the Medical Corp.  In 1960 he resumed his training in cardiothoracic surgery as a Fellow under Dwight E. Harken, MD, in Boston, and in 1961 returned to Hartford Hospital to start his career as a cardiothoracic surgeon.
Dr. Low is certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He is a Fellow of American College of Surgeons. He belongs to numerous surgical and medical societies, locally, nationally and internationally.

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Paul L. Preissler, M.D.
Paul Preissler, MD, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Connecticut Health Center/John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington, is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Saint Mary's Hospital, Waterbury Hospital, Hartford Hospital and John Dempsey Hospital. A graduate of the UConn School of Medicine in Farmington, Dr. Preissler completed a general surgery residency at Hartford Hospital and a thoracic and cardiovascular surgery residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals. In addition, he is an instructor of thoracic anatomy at the UConn School of Medicine. Board certified in surgery and thoracic surgery, Dr. Preissler is a member of Connecticut Cardiothoracic Surgical Associates, a private practice for cardiothoracic and vascular surgery in Hartford.

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Jonathan A. Hammond, M.D.
Jonathan Hammond, Jr., MD, is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Saint Mary's Hospital, Waterbury Hospital, Hartford Hospital and the University of Connecticut Health Center/John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington. He also serves as Surgical Director of the Heart Transplant Program at Hartford Hospital. A graduate of Harvard Medical School in Boston, Dr. Hammond completed a residency in the Hartford Hospital/University of Connecticut Integrated General Surgery Program and a residency in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals. Board certified in surgery and thoracic surgery, he is a member of Connecticut Cardiothoracic Surgical Associates, a private practice for cardiothoracic and vascular surgery in Hartford.

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David J. Underhill, M.D.
David Underhill, MD, is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Saint Mary's Hospital, Waterbury Hospital, Hartford Hospital and the University of Connecticut Health Center/John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington. He earned his medical degree at the University of Vermont, completed his general surgery residency at the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, and his thoracic surgery residency at the University of Michigan. Dr. Underhill also was a research fellow in cardiac surgery with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institute of Health. Board certified in surgery and thoracic surgery, he is a member of Connecticut Cardiothoracic Surgical Associates, a private practice for cardiothoracic and vascular surgery in Hartford.

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Daniel S. Fusco, M.D.
Daniel Fusco, MD, is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Saint Mary’s Hospital, Waterbury Hospital, Hartford Hospital and the University of Connecticut Health Center/John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington. A graduate of the UConn School of Medicine in Farmington, Dr. Fusco completed a general surgery residency at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., and a thoracic surgery residency at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Va. In addition, he completed a fellowship in heart transplantation and aortic surgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Dr. Fusco, a board-certified surgeon, is a member of Connecticut Cardiothoracic Surgical Associates, a private practice for cardiothoracic and vascular surgery in Hartford.

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