Renowned NJ-Based Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) Team Completes 5,000th Successful...

Renowned NJ-Based Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) Team Completes
5,000th Successful Procedure

VATS Procedure Pioneers, Thoracic Group, P.A., Deliver Faster Recovery, Fewer
Complications for Patients Requiring Chest Surgery

SOMERSET, N.J., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Thoracic Group, P.A.
(www.thoracicgroup.com), a provider of general thoracic surgical services and
a national leader of minimally-invasive video assisted thoracic surgery
(VATS), has announced the successful completion of its 5,000th VATS surgical
procedure. Highly beneficial in its ability to reduce incision size, hospital
stay, associated complications and related chronic chest pain as compared to
traditional open chest surgery (i.e., thoracotomy), this specific technique
employs just four minimal incisions and allows surgeons to execute a variety
of chest procedures via videoscope. Led by VATS pioneers Robert J. Caccavale,
M.D. and Jean-Philippe Bocage, M.D., Thoracic Group, P.A. began employing the
technique in 1990 and currently uses it in over 99 percent of its procedures.

Used to operate on the lung, mediastinum and pleura to treat conditions such
as cancer, pneumothorax, infection and cysts, VATS provides patients with
significant, measurable benefits including:

-- Just four one inch incisions (a traditional thoracotomy requires an
incision of 10-14 inches as well as unavoidable rib injury and muscle damage)
-- An approximated two day hospital stay (patients of a typical thoracotomy
require stays of 7-10 days)
-- An 80 percent reduction in recovery time as compared to the traditional
thoracotomy
-- A significantly reduced complication rate due to minimal invasion (less
than five percent of VATS patients experience post-surgery complications
compared to 30 percent of thoracotomy patients)

"The completion of our 5,000th VATS procedure is a significant milestone not
only for our practice and the medical community but also for the scores of
people who suffer from an array of thoracic ailments," said Robert J.
Caccavale, M.D., Thoracic Group, P.A. surgeon. "For all potential patients --
particularly those deemed ineligible for a traditional thoracotomy due to
certain risk factors and co-existing medical conditions -- VATS presents not
just an alternative option but oftentimes a better choice for treatment,
providing greater effectiveness and faster recovery."

VATS is performed using a small video camera attached to a thoracoscope, which
is introduced to the patient's chest through one of four small incisions. The
video camera then transmits magnified images of the operative area onto
strategically positioned monitors in the operating room. Concurrently, the
three remaining incisions serve as entry ports for the surgical instruments
necessary to carry out the procedure.

Operating as a surgical team for over 15 years, the unique collaborative
approach of Dr. Bocage and Dr. Caccavale has enabled them to reach this
milestone in a faster timeframe than would be possible by individual surgeons
who chose to conduct VATS procedures with only nurses, residents, and
assistants by their side. Operating together, the duo finds that the
procedures progress not only faster, but much safer -- as each highly
experienced surgeon is able to work independently on either side of the
patient's body, and accomplish with four hands what typically relies on only
two hands to achieve.

"We feel it is of the utmost importance that patients requiring thoracic
surgery know that the VATS procedure is a superior alternative to the
traditional thoracotomy -- it is proven method with proven benefits," said
Jean-Philippe Bocage, M.D., Thoracic Group, P.A. surgeon. "There are a number
of co-existing or debilitating conditions such as cardiac disease, diabetes or
osteoporosis that can prohibit traditional open surgery. What we want to
communicate is that VATS allows thoracic surgery patients to return to their
normal life much faster than would be possible under the circumstances of a
traditional thoracotomy."

About Thoracic Group, P.A.
Centrally headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, Thoracic Group, P.A. is one
of the country's leading providers of general thoracic and surgical services
and is nationally renowned for developing and performing Video Assisted
Thoracic Surgery (VATS). Led by surgeons Robert J Caccavale, M.D. and
Jean-Philippe Bocage, M.D., the practice has successfully conducted more than
5,000 VATS surgeries since 1990 on patients from across the U.S. suffering
from a variety of ailments including various cancers and infections,
pneumothorax, emphysema, cysts and other thoracic disorders.

Thoracic Group, P.A. is affiliated with three medical centers: Somerset
Medical Center, St. Peter's University Hospital, and Robert Wood Johnson
University Hospital; and two cancer centers: Steeplechase Cancer Center and
the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. For more information, visit
www.thoracicgroup.com or call (800) 396-0122.

SOURCE Thoracic Group, P.A.

Kevin McLaughlin, +1-609-279-0050 x 102, kevin@resoundmarketing.com, for
Thoracic Group, P.A.