<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=799546403794687&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Blogs

Department of Surgery News and Stories

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Community    Cardiothoracic Surgery

What You Should Know About Pericarditis 

This week, Denver Broncos wide receiver KJ Hamler announced that he had been diagnosed with pericarditis, or inflammation of the heart. Hamler said he started feeling chest pain while working out prior to Broncos training camp.  


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date August 04, 2023
Full Story

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Robotic Surgery Leads to Even Better Outcomes for Mitral Valve Patients at the CU Department of Surgery 

Even before the robot, the University of Colorado Department of Surgery was leading the way when it comes to mitral valve surgery. Morbidity and mortality outcomes for mitral valve repair at CU are well below the national average. In 2019, CU surgeons began using a minimally invasive approach to repair leaky heart valves that affect blood flow in the body and can lead to congestive heart failure.  


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date July 21, 2023
Full Story

Research    Public Health    Obesity    Cardiothoracic Surgery

Obesity Associated with Increased Risk of Complications After Surgery

In the United States, almost 74% of adults age 20 and older have overweight or obesity, and of that number almost 42% have obesity.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date April 28, 2023
Full Story

Research    Cardiothoracic Surgery

Case Study Research Emphasizes Importance of Specific Imaging in Cardiac Surgical Care

The continuing move to multidisciplinary surgical care has meant a growing number of approaches to treating surgical issues. In cardiac surgery, the conversations that happen between surgeons, cardiac imagers, and interventional cardiologists have become integral to providing the best care that puts patients at the lowest risk.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date April 11, 2023
Full Story

Community    Cardiothoracic Surgery

Smoking and Surgery: Why the Two Don’t Mix 

Doctors are always trying to convince their patients to stop smoking, but it’s a concern that’s especially vital prior to surgery, due to the effects smoking has on the body. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date March 14, 2023
Full Story

Community    Medicine    Cardiothoracic Surgery

Finding the Heartbeat in Medicine

The career turning point for Michael Wells, PA-C, MPH, came during heart surgery in an operating room at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date February 21, 2023
Full Story

Community    Cardiothoracic Surgery    Equity Diversity and Inclusion

Christian Scott Using His Sports Training as Administrative Director for the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery 

Christian Scott’s dream of working in the sports industry never materialized, but as administrative director for the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the University of Colorado School of Medicine, he still gets to work with an all-star team dedicated to being the best in its field. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date February 01, 2023
Full Story

Community    Cardiothoracic Surgery    Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac Arrest During NFL Game Brings Awareness to Importance of High-Quality Intervention

Editor’s Note: Since this story first published, Damar Hamlin was discharged from a Buffalo, New York, hospital January 11 and on January 28 released a video updating his fans and community on his recovery.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, 24, remained in critical condition Wednesday after collapsing on the football field six minutes into the first quarter of Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date January 04, 2023
Full Story

Patient Care    Cardiothoracic Surgery

CU Cardiac Surgeons Develop Pathway to Prevent Acute Kidney Injury After Surgery

Patients receiving cardiac surgery are at higher risk for acute kidney injury following the procedure, which is why the University of Colorado Department of Surgery has implemented a new preoperative pathway to identify patients who are more likely to suffer acute kidney injury (AKI) following elective cardiac surgery and prevent that injury from occurring.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date December 12, 2022
Full Story

Cardiothoracic Surgery    Awards

Surgical Resident Wins Award for Best Cardiac Presentation 

Cenea Kemp, MD, a general surgery resident in the Department of Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, took home the award for Best Oral Cardiac Presentation at the annual meeting of the Eastern Cardiothoracic Surgical Society in October. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date November 18, 2022
Full Story

Community    Cardiothoracic Surgery

Thoracic Surgeons Launch Enhanced Recovery Plan for Patients

A new enhanced recovery protocol for patients undergoing lung resection surgery performed by faculty members in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery is resulting in patients going home sooner, experiencing less postoperative pain and complications, and taking fewer opioid drugs to manage their pain.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date September 16, 2022
Full Story

Education    Community    CU Medicine Today    Cardiothoracic Surgery    Fellowship

International Collaborations Bring Rwanda’s Only Cardiothoracic Surgeon to Colorado

Before Maurice Musoni, MD, completed his surgical training in South Africa, his home country of Rwanda had no cardiothoracic surgeon.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date June 14, 2022
Full Story

Research    Education    Community    Cardiothoracic Surgery

Medical Student Wins Award for Presenting Paper about Surgical Training Tool

It’s not unusual for students to enter medical school with ideas about paths they’d like to pursue in medicine. Those ideas can evolve over time as they delve into course work and clinical rotations, but the initial interests that guided them to medicine in the first place can be significant.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date May 20, 2022
Full Story

Education    Community    Faculty    Vascular Surgery    Cardiothoracic Surgery

Nurturing a Passion for Medicine that Was Born in the Midst of War

Almost a decade into his medical career, amid the daily traumas of war, Mohammed Al-Musawi, MD, began to love his job.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date March 22, 2022
Full Story

Patient Care    Community    Cardiothoracic Surgery   

Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at CU School of Medicine Celebrates a ‘Herstoric’ Moment

With two female cardiothoracic surgeons in its ranks, the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine is ahead of the curve when it comes to gender representation in the field. By one recent estimate, just 8% of cardiothoracic surgeons in the country are female.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date November 17, 2021
Full Story

Faculty    Cardiothoracic Surgery

“Is There a Physician Onboard?”: Emergency over the Atlantic Reaffirms Surgeon’s Commitment to Helping

You know how it is trying to leave for vacation – there’s always one last thing to do, one last note to write, one last end to tie up before committing to the rest and relaxation.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date August 13, 2021
Full Story

Patient Care    Community    Cardiothoracic Surgery

University of Colorado Surgeon Performs State’s First COVID-19 Lung Transplant

Bryan Raymond was very nearly just another grim entry on the ever-growing list of COVID-19 fatalities. But thanks to efforts by faculty members in the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Department of Surgery, Raymond is a COVID statistic of a different sort — the first person in Colorado to receive a lung transplant related to the virus.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date April 26, 2021
Full Story

Department of Surgery In the News

KDVR

Montana Baby Receives Rare Life-Saving Heart Surgery at Children’s Hospital Colorado

news outletKDVR
Publish DateAugust 20, 2023

A Montana family is no longer planning a funeral after their baby was saved by rare life-saving surgery that was performed at Children's Hospital Colorado last year.

Full Story
Denver Gazette

Successful Robot-Performed Liver Donor Transplant Performed at Aurora Uchealth

news outletDenver Gazette
Publish DateAugust 16, 2023

Surgeons at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital's transplant center in Aurora performed what is believed to be the first robotic liver transplant surgery on a living donor in the Rocky Mountain region, officials announced in a news release.

Full Story
KDVR

Parker Woman First in Colorado To Receive Robotic Liver Transplant Surgery

news outletKDVR
Publish DateAugust 15, 2023

PARKER, Colo. (KDVR) — Surgeons at the UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital have made a medical breakthrough, successfully completing a robotic living donor liver transplant for the first time in state history, according to UCHealth. 

Full Story
Health

What to Know About Small Bowel Obstruction, a Rare Complication of Bariatric Surgery

news outletHealth
Publish DateJuly 20, 2023

The unexpected death of Lisa Marie Presley last January has been linked to a complication of years-old bariatric, or weight loss, surgery, according to an autopsy report.

Full Story