The Canning Thoracic Institute Expands to Serve Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital Patients

Canning Thoracic Institute Team

Northwestern Medicine’s Canning Thoracic Institute recently expanded its thoracic surgery services to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital, offering patients state-of-the-art patient care close to home. Ankit Bharat, MD, chief of thoracic surgery at Northwestern Medicine and director of Canning Thoracic Institute, began seeing patients at McHenry Hospital in fall of 2021, but was still scheduling the procedures at the Northwestern Medicine’s downtown campus in Chicago. Recently, the team was able to expand clinical resources to create a surgical team at McHenry Hospital, and since April 2022, the team has surpassed 50 complex thoracic surgical cases.

Additionally, Dr. Bharat is implementing the Canning Thoracic Institute Ambulatory Precision Lung Sparing (CTI A-PLUS) program at McHenry Hospital, where diagnosis and treatment occur at the same time in under a few hours and patients can be discharged the same day as their surgery, including those who may have advanced lung disease or lung cancer.

“The Canning Thoracic Institute is proud to expand services to patients in McHenry County, eliminating the need to travel downtown for their procedures,” said Ankit Bharat, MD. “Just months ago, this wasn’t an option. We understand that commuting can add another layer of stress, and we are pleased to relieve them of that inconvenience moving forward.”

 Tina Klasek, 66, of McHenry, needed a left robotic thymectomy with resection of a very large mass in front of her heart which was diagnosed during a scan. She was already coping with bladder cancer, so she was grateful when she was told that Dr. Bharat would be able to conduct the procedure to remove the large tumor close to her home at McHenry Hospital.

 Despite the size of the tumor, the thoracic surgery team was able to remove it through minimally invasive robotic approach. “I feel so blessed that we have the caliber of Northwestern Medicine physicians so close to our home, and that these top-notch doctors are now coming out to our hospital,” said Klasek. “The whole process was smooth, and despite Dr. Bharat’s busy schedule, he took the time to explain my situation to me in a professional, yet understandable manner. Most importantly, he spoke to me with care and compassion, and I consider myself lucky that I was able to have such a highly-established expert in the field taking care of me without having to travel to the city.”

Since the procedure, Klasek’s health has continued to improve and her prognosis is good. “I am comforted knowing that I have the full support from the Northwestern Medicine team of doctors, should I need to reach out,” said Klasek. “In the meantime, I am going to focus on enjoying my time with my husband and family.”

For more information, please go to Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute | Northwestern Medicine.

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