Thoracic Surgery

Thoracic Surgery Program

Mary Washington Hospital is a 437-bed tertiary medical center and boasts a comprehensive thoracic surgery program, developed and led by J. Timothy Sherwood, MD. This program has some of the best outcomes in the country. Dr. Sherwood is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, which manages a national database of thoracic surgeries. His quality outcomes are in the top 5% of the country, as reported by the Society. By participating in the Society's national database, Dr. Sherwood is committed to improving the quality of care that his thoracic surgery patients receive. In addition, Dr. Sherwood ranks in the top 1% nationwide in patient satisfaction, as measured by an independent third party survey organization.

Dr. Sherwood operates the da Vinci Xi Robot

Mary Washington's Thoracic Surgery program is a multidisciplinary program. Under Dr. Sherwood's direction, the thoracic service is comprised of a team of surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and nurses dedicated to providing top quality care.

Mary Washington Hospital offers utilizing state of the art operating room facilities, a top-rated anesthesia service, and a dedicated thoracic patient unit. Our ICU is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by board-certified pulmonary intensivists. To this day, this program remains the only general thoracic program in the region, and boasts some of the best outcomes in the country.

Surgeries

Mary Washington Hospital's Division of Thoracic and Esophageal Surgery is dedicated to providing the highest quality of care to patients who suffer from a variety of conditions involving the chest, lungs, and esophagus. Dr. Sherwood uses cutting-edge diagnostic imaging technology and state-of-the-art surgical techniques in his efforts to bring about successful outcomes in patients suffering from these illnesses.

Lung Cancer

Dr. Sherwood also works closely with oncologists and other specialists to devise the best treatment plans for patients suffering from lung, airway, and esophagus cancer, as well as other diseases of the chest, airway and foregut/esophagus. Dr. Sherwood heads a weekly multidisciplinary thoracic conference attended by medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pulmonologists, pathologists, and radiologists. Patient cases are discussed with this multidisciplinary team in order to ensure the best care possible.

For more information on our dedicated lung cancer program through the Regional Cancer Center, please visit RCC's Lung Cancer section.

Clinical Trials/Research

Dr. Sherwood participates in research protocols with the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, the Cancer and Leukemia Group B, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Cornell University Medical Center, The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, and the Duke Research Center.

Techniques

• Mininally Invasive Lung Surgery - Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) including VATS Lobectomy and Segmentectomy (only performed by 23% and 5% of thoracic surgeons, respectively)
• Minimally Invasive Esophageal, Hiatal Hernia, and Paraesophageal Hernia Surgery
• Airway Surgery
  • Spray Cryotherapy
  • Laser Surgery
  • Tracheal and Bronchial Stent Placement
  • Tracheal Resection
  • Tracheoplasty for Tracheomalacia
• Chest Wall Tumor Resection
• Bronchoscopy with Superimension Navigational Bronchoscopy for lung mass biopsy and fiducial placement
• Lung Resection
• Esophageal Surgery
• Surgery for Hyperhidrosis