A remarkable feature of Delhi Heart & Lung Institute is dedicated & exclusive Respiratory medicine department incorporating General Thoracic Surgery department dealing with diseased or injured organs of chest specifically disorders of lungs and esophagus (food pipe) and trachea (windpipe). Lung cancer, esophageal cancer, emphysema, reflux esophagitis, complications of lung tuberculosis and chest trauma are some of the many clinical indications for thoracic surgery. Staffed by highly trained and experienced Cardiothoracic surgeons, Thoracic Surgery department is a self-contained dept equipped with most modern facilities for diagnosis and treatment of surgical diseases of chest comparable to international standards. Various diagnostic facilities include Bronchoscopy – Rigid & flexible (conventional and video-bronchoscopy), Thoracoscopy – Conventional and Video-assisted, Mediastinoscopy. In cooperation with other departments, complete diagnostic work up of thoracic surgical patient is done in-house including pulmonary function test, pulmonary angiography, spiral CT scan with 3-D reconstruction, Arterial blood gas analysis etc.

Department is fully geared to undertake all sorts of advanced general thoracic operations for various infective, noninfective, post-tubercular and cancerous diseases of lung, wind pipe, food pipe, chest wall etc. in all age groups starting from infancy to ripe old age. Range of operations, routinely done include Lobectomy, Pneumonectomy, Decortication, Chest wall reconstruction, Operations on food pipe (Esophagus), Operations on wind pipe (Trachea), Diaphragmatic hernias, Operations for acidity (Gastroesophageal reflux) etc. just to name a few of many. Excellent postoperative care is provided in modern intensive care unit equipped with state-of-art monitoring equipment and round-the-clock availability of trained intensivist. To help patients with chronic, crippling respiratory dysfunction as in advanced emphysema, lung volume reduction surgery is done routinely. Plans are being envisaged to add lung transplantation services that shall further augment the thoracic surgery department.

Dept is also one of few in Northern India to undertake minimally invasive thoracic surgery (Key hole surgery). Apart from diagnostic mediastinoscopy and thoracoscopy, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is routinely done for a wide variety of diseases inside chest cavity. A sample list of operations done using VATS include Bullectomy, pleurectomy, Ablation of hemothorax, Ablation of empyema thoracis, Thymectomy, Wedge resection of lung, Esophageal myotomy, Lung biopsy, Pleural biopsy, Mediastinal lymph node biopsy, pericardial biopsy etc.