Lung Surgery
As cardiothoracic surgeons, our physicians receive extensive training in both heart and lung surgery (cardiothoracic refers to both the heart and thoracic cavity, which includes the lungs).
The function of the lungs is to add oxygen back into blood after it has been used by the body to create energy. The lung is separated into lobes with 3 lobes on the right side and 2 lobes on the left. Eighty percent of the lung volume is air, 10% of the lung volume is blood, and approximately 10% of the lung volume is solid tissue.
Lung Cancer Surgery
Lung surgery is often performed for cancer. There are different types of lung cancer, which are commonly seperated into small cell and non-small cell lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer is not commonly treated with surgery; radiation and chemotherapy are used instead. The decision of whether to perform lung surgery is based on both the type of cancer cell as well as the location of the cancer. This decision is best discussed with a physician. In addition to "primary" lung cancer, where the cancer comes from a type of cell commonly found in the lung, there are often "secondary" lung cancers that come from cancers at distant sites in the body. The lungs receive a large amount of blood flow, which is why many types of cancers often spread to the lungs even though they began in a different part of the body.
It is possible to remove an entire lung from a patient because many patients have enough lung capacity to get by with one lung alone. Each patient is different, and a physician will perform tests to determine how much lung tissue can be safely removed without a dangerous effect on breathing.
Raney Zusman Medical Group is cardiothoracic surgery practice located in
Newport Beach, CA and serves the surrounding
Orange County area. If you would like to schedule an appointment, please
contact us here.
For directions to our facility, please search Newport Beach at Google Maps or click on the image to the left to be taken directly to our contact page. 
