Cardiothoracic Surgery

The Cardiothoracic Department at Rigshospitalet is affiliated with the University of Copenhagen and its catchment area is the Capital Region of Denmark, Region Zealand as well as the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

The department has a nation-wide function for lung transplants, congenital heart surgery, thymus surgery and lung volume reduction surgery and is a Scandinavian center for surgical treatment of mesothelioma.

The department is responsible for 40-45% of all cardiothoracic surgical activity in Denmark.

At the Cardiothoracic Department, Rigshospitalet, students can find supervisors for bachelor projects and master’s theses. Moreover, these projects can be expanded to “research-year projects” or PhD-projects.

Students with a desire to conduct, or who have an interest in, research in the field of cardiothoracic surgery (regardless of this being at bachelor-, master’s-, or PhD-level) are welcome to contact René Horsleben Petersen, or one of the other clinical professors and clinical associate professors on the list below.

The specialty of cardiothoracic surgery encompasses the following fields:

• Treatment of ischemic heart disease (CABG)
• Treatment of heart valve diseases
• Treatment of arrhythmias (RFA and Maze)
• Treatment of congenital heart diseases, including GUCH
• Treatment of aneurisms and aortic dissection
• Transplantation of heart- and lungs as well as ex-vivo lung perfusion
• Treatment of heart failure – assist systems and HeartMate
• Participation in hybrid-surgery with cardiologists (TAVI-TAMVR)
• Treatment of lung cancer
• Treatment of esophageal cancer
• Treatment of esophageal diseases, including obstructions
• Treatment of pneumothorax
• Treatment of thoracic trauma
• Treatment of pectus disorders
• Treatment of infectious diseases of the pleura
• Treatment of mediastinal tumors
• Treatment of congenital lung diseases
• Treatment of emphysema

The specialty includes research in all the areas mentioned above.

Heart:

• Heart- and lung transplants, including ex-vivo lung perfusion
• Assists systems and HeartMate 3
• Thrombosis- and anticoagulation during heart surgery

Congenital heart diseases:

• Surgical techniques
• Neurological outcomes
• Genetics
• Lymph-related complications

Lung:

• Minimally invasive lung surgery (VATS)
• VATS virtual reality simulation
• Thymus surgery
• Lung cancer screening
• Rehabilitation after lung cancer surgery
• Lung-sparing surgery (segmentectomy)
• Multidisciplinary treatment of mesothelioma
• Multidisciplinary treatment of neuroendocrine tumors