Dr. Hartmuth Bittner heads Cardiac Surgery Associates operating out of Lafayette, Indiana. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Heidelberg Medical School. Besides a Ph.D., Dr. Hartmuth Bittner is a Diplomate of the National Academy of Sports and Sports Sciences. Between 1998 and 1999, he worked in the cardiothoracic surgery department of Duke University in Durham.
A cardiothoracic surgeon focuses on surgical procedures affecting the chest cavity, including the heart, esophagus, lungs, and other chest organs. Thoracic surgery covers the operation and critical surgical care of patients with congenital or acquired chest pathologic conditions, including aftercare. The most common conditions that require thoracic surgery are heart lesions, coronary artery disease, chest trauma, heart valve problems, lung cancer, emphysema, esophageal cancer, and lung or heart transplantation.
To become a cardiothoracic surgeon, you need to have a four-year undergraduate pre-med course and graduate from a credible medical school. After graduation, you must complete a general surgery residency program (five years) before entering a two or three-year cardiothoracic residency program in surgery. Alternatively, you can take a six-year integrated residency in cardiothoracic surgery.
