- Prof. Dr. med. Dirk Kaiser
Curriculum vitae
Prof. Dr. med. Dirk Kaiser
In the years from 1963 until 1969, Professor Dirk Kaiser did his medical studies at the Albert-Ludwig’s-University, in Freiburg. On the first of July 1970 he entered the surgical University hospital in Freiburg as a scientific assistant next to Prof. Dr. M. Schwaiger. In April, six years later, he changed into the department for pulmonary surgery to Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Wolfart. In 1978, Professor Kaiser was nominated to the executive assistant medical director of the wards. In May 1982, he finished his state doctorate over the topic, “animal experiments for the exchange of homoeopathic and allopathic tracheas.“ Stepping further on the career ladder he received the award of the Venia legendi for the subject surgery, in 1982. Three years later, he was nominated to the provisional medical director of the ward, pulmonary surgery, at the University Freiburg. Additionally, he was nominated to the chief physician of the pulmonary clinic at the HELIOS Hospital Emil von Behring.
Since 1985 until today Professor Kaiser is a member of the following:
- German association for surgery
- Industrial union of German surgeons
- German association of thoracic surgery
- 140 publications, monographs, book articles
- About 350 lectures nationally as well as internationally
Thoracic Surgery
Together with the Hospital for Pneumology (specializing in infectiology and oncology as well as the Hospital for Pediatric Pneumology specializing in mucoviscidosis (Christiane Herzog Center), the Hospital for Thorax Surgery is a
center of expertise for the lungs. The Chief Physician of the department, Prof. Dirk Kaiser, was listed as one of Germany’s top ten doctors in all editions of Fokus magazine. The hospital is famous for its excellent quality management and extremely low 30-day mortality compared to other hospitals in Germany and internationally. This is due to an optimum structure and process quality.
Services
- Diagnostics and operations on lung cancer
- Operations on lung metastases (laser)
- Operation of tumor and constrictions of the trachea
- Chest wall operations such as funnel chest, pigeon chest and thoracoplasty
- Operations for chest wall tumors, recurrences and radiation injury following breast cancer including skin and muscular advancement flap plastic surgery
- Operations for inflammatory/pyogenic lung, sternum and chest wall diseases
- Treatment and operations for pyogenic accumulation in the chest (empyema) and mediastinum (mediastinitis)
- Operations for tuberculous lung and pleural diseases
- Operations for malignant pleural diseases (pleural mesothelioma, carcinosis)
- Operation for tumors in the mediastinum (germ cell tumors, dermoid tumors, thymomas, cysts, goiters) incl. vascular replacement operations
- Port implants (out-patients as well)
- Operations on diaphragm (reconstruction, hernias, ruptures
Keyhole Surgery (Minimally Invasive Surgery/VATS) for:
- Debridement in the event of pleural purulence
- Sympathectomy in the event of hyperhidrosis (increased perspiration from the head, hands and arms) and in the event of circulatory disturbances
- Unclear changes to the lungs (round focus)
- Early-stage lung cancer (VATS lobectomy)
- Tumors of the mediastinum, VATS thymectomy in the event of myasthenia
- Pleural carcinosis: pleurectomy/pleurodesis
- Lung tear (spontaneous pneumothorax)
- Benign diseases of the esophagus
- Pulmonary emphysema (volume reduction)
- Hematothorax (blood accumulation in chest)
- Video-assisted mediastinal lymphadenectomy (video-mediastinoscopy)
Specialist Areas:
Metastasis Surgery with Laser
- This method is used for metastases of colon cancer, renal cell cancer, testicular cancer, gynecological carcinomas and soft tissue and bone sarcoma. The quality of results from such surgery is evaluated prospectively and retrospectively. The 30-day mortality is 0.3%. Individual patients were operated on 5 times for metastases. The improvement in the 5-year survival rate regarding the tumors mentioned above is significant in comparison with other procedures (chemotherapy). Favorable forecast factors that lead to long-term survival are a large metastasis-free interval, the lowest possible number of metastases, as well as resection of the metastases in healthy tissue, histology of the primary tumor and the lack of a lymph node attack.
Tumor Surgery
- Extended resections as well as partial atrial and vascular resections with vascular replacement, chest wall resections and bifurcation resections, bronchial cuff resections and vascular cuff resections are performed in large numbers. The proportion of bronchial cuff resections among 2,419 lung cancer operations performed is 12% and the mortality 1.1%. The number of pneumonectomies is as low as 16% and the mortality 4.3%. The re-attachment of pulmonary parts not affected by tumors (lung tissue-protective operation procedure) is a significant quality characteristic in lung cancer surgery, and also has a pneumonectomy rate below 20%. The overall mortality in cancer surgery operations is 1.5%.
Septic Thoracic Surgery
- The hospital is a center for septic thoracic surgery. Large numbers of bronchiectases, pleural empyema, infections of the chest wall, osteochondritis and radiation ulcers are treated, including musculocutaneous flap plastic surgery.
Minimally Invasive Surgery
- The hospital is a center of expertise for minimally invasive thoracic surgery. The whole spectrum of operations is carried out with minimally invasive Thymectomies for myasthenia, pneumothoracic operations, sympatectomies and video-assisted lymphadenectomies of the mediastinum being further specialties.
Intensive Pneumological-thoracic-surgical Ward
- The Hospital for Thoracic Surgery has eight beds in a combined pneumological-thoracic-surgical intensive ward. These are mainly intensive monitoring beds. This means that thoracic surgery is in thorax-surgical hands and a member of staff of the Hospital for Thoracic Surgery is in attendance on this ward at nights and weekends. This person also looks after the day ward. A senior physician is also on call at all times so that the entire range of operations and complication management is available at nights and weekends. We wish to point out that blood transfusions are only necessary in exceptional cases. The beliefs of Jehovah’s witnesses are accepted and operations are carried out without blood.
