Published: December 17, 2004

OR-Live.com Presents: Morristown Memorial Hospital Surgeon to Perform Minimally Invasive Chest Surgery Live Over the Internet

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VATS Procedures Can Be Performed for Early Stage Lung Cancer With Excellent Short-Term and Long-Term Results. Live Webcast: Friday, January 14, 2005 at 2 pm EST

Lung cancer remains the number one cancer killer in the United States, and the vast majority of patients undergoing lung surgery today, approximately 90 percent, smoked for at least 10 to 20 years, according to Dr. Widmann. Most are older -- the average age of Dr. Widmann's patients is 68.

Mark D. Widmann, MD, thoracic surgeon at Morristown Memorial Hospital, will perform a minimally invasive chest surgery. The procedure, known as Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) involves the removal of a mass in the chest using video-assisted technology, a technique that uses tiny cameras inserted through small incisions to help navigate surgery.

Developed just ten years ago, VATS minimizes the need for the surgeon to make a large incision used in traditional open chest surgery. The procedure takes about two hours and reduces the patient's hospital stay to about three days compared with seven to ten days which is often required with open chest surgery. At home recovery is also quicker with patients usually back to work in about two weeks.

Visit www.OR-Live.com now to view a program preview and sign up for an event reminder. A VNR is available at http://www.or-live.com/rams/ahs-1308-mkw-q.ram

The webcast uses RealPlayer to display both video and synchronized slides in side-by-side windows.