View Dr. DeArmond’s Bio |

Patient appointments & physician referrals: please call 210-450-0999.
Hospitals – VATS is available at Christus Santa
Rosa NW, University Hospital, Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital
Hospitals – daVinci™ Robotic Surgery is available at Christus Santa Rosa NW

Dr. DeArmond is one of only a very small group of surgeons in San Antonio who is specially trained to perform VATS (video-assisted,
minimally invasive) lung resection surgery. Dr. DeArmond is
fellowship-trained in minimally invasive video-assisted thoracic
surgery. During his fellowship training at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center,
Los Angeles, CA, he performed approximately 100 VATS lobectomies or
segmentectomies and assisted on another 50. After joining the Surgery
faculty at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio in August 2007,
Dr. DeArmond performed the first ever VATS lobectomy at University
Hospital, with impressive outcomes: operative time, including frozen
section, was only three hours, and the patient was discharged on the
second post-operative day. Read more about Dr. DeArmond and
the VATS procedures.

VATS procedures are available at Christus Santa Rosa Northwest, University
Hospital, and Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital.

For additional information on VATS surgical options, please visit
Wikipedia – VATS Lobectomy;
information on this Wikipedia page has been provided by Dr. DeArmond.

Minimally invasive techniques (i.e., VATS
thoracoscopy) are routinely used to diagnose lung masses
that are suspicious for cancer.

Prognosis after VATS lobectomy has been shown to be superior to
prognosis after open lobectomy in early non-small-cell cancer, possibly
because of the low level of invasiveness of the VATS lobectomy.

For additional information on VATS surgical options, please visit
Wikipedia – VATS Lobectomy;
information on this Wikipedia page has been provided by Dr. DeArmond.

New lung cancer procedure is less invasive:
A new surgical procedure for early-stage lung cancer is helping patients recover more quickly and
without as much pain as the traditional operation. Daniel DeArmond, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgery, is one of
only a very small number of thoracic surgeons in San Antonio who is performing the new video-assisted
thoracic surgery procedure (VATS).
View KENS-5 video

Video-assisted thorascopic surgery (VATS) procedures performed by Dr. DeArmond:

VATS lobectomy (first and foremost) VATS resection of mediastinal tumors VATS mediastinal lymph node biopsy VATS Heller myotomy VATS resection of pleural-based tumors VATS pericardial window for pericardial effusions VATS sympathectomy for palmar hyperhydrosis VATS decortication for emypema or hemothorax VATS pleurodesis for recurrent malignant or benign pleural effusion VATS resection of pulmonary metastatic disease VATS lung biopsy VATS pulmonary segmentectomy VATS thoracic lymphadenectomy – as complete as can be done open and always performed in association with lobectomy or segmentectomy for lung cancer VATS brachytherapy for patients with lung cancer and prohibitive pulmonary function

Bronchoscopy, flexible and rigid, with photodynamic therapy or laser ablation of endobronchial tumors, or bronchial stenting, or placement of bronchial blockers EGD with stenting, or PDT or laser ablation of esophageal tumors Open lung procedures including resection of lung masses with en bloc chest wall resection and chest wall reconstruction, including Pancoast tumors VATS or open lung resection for inflammatory disease VATS or open lung volume reduction surgery VATS or open resection of the thymus Medistinoscopy for mediastinal lymph node sampling Tracheal resection Transhiatal esophagectomy Robotic or laparoscopic Heller myotomy for achalasia or fundoplication for reflux VATS or open thoracic surgery for trauma including rib fracture plating

When
surgeons at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center developed the VATS lobectomy
procedure in 1992, the hope was that minimally invasive surgery offered
patients a shorter hospital stay, less risk, and quicker recovery,
without compromising the completeness of the cancer operation.

Although it has been proven to be a safe and highly effective as a
treatment option for lung cancer, video-assisted thorascopic surgery
(VATS) lobectomy is still not widely practiced, in part due to a
shortage of qualified, well-trained practitioners, which may be due to
difficulties in acquiring the appropriate skills.

VATS lobectomy has distinct advantages over traditional surgery,
including reduced morbidity, mortality and length of hospital stay, and
an earlier return to regular activities for the patient.

What is VATS lobectomy? Very similar to a standard thoracotomy,
VATS lobectomy is a standard lobectomy with smaller incisions. This
procedure can be used for treatment of benign or malignant disease. The
ribs are not spread or sectioned, allowing for a much faster recovery
period for the patient. The VATS lobectomy procedure requires 4
incisions, usually none longer than 6cm.

The VATS lobectomy procedure can be used for most primary lung cancers,
including adenocarcinoma, squamous cell, BAC, carcinoid, AD SQ, large
cell, NSCL, small cell, sarcoma, and mucoepidermoid. Both the
traditional thoracotomy and the VATS lobectomy provide complete
dissection.

Dr. DeArmond participated in Cedars-Sinai Medical Centers 1992-2004
retrospective study of VATS lobectomy results. In a patient population
of 1100, the patient mortality rate was .8 percent; 84% of the patients
had no complications. The average length of stay for a VATS lobectomy
is 3-5 days; average length of stay for a standard thoracotomy is 5-7
days.

Contraindications for VATS lobectomy include benign or malignant
nodal disease, chest wall or mediastinal invasion, endobronchial tumor
(central tumors), neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy, or
positive mediastinoscopy.

What are the benefits of the VATS lobectomy procedure? VATS
lobectomy is a reasonable treatment option for lung cancer; complete
nodal dissection is possible with this procedure. Benefits include a
lower mortality rate than with a traditional thoracotomy, and the VATS
procedure is more easily tolerated by older and/or poor performance
patients. There is a lower risk of major bleeds, and a lower risk of
seeding incisions. Indications of the efficacy and benefits of the VATS
lobectomy procedure are constantly expanding, and there is a growing
consensus that it is an effective treatment for lung cancer.

Intraoperatively, VATS appears to be as good as or better than a
thoracotomy. Blood loss is significantly less with a VATS procedure;
hospitalization time is shorter, intraoperative deaths and major
complications are rare. Postoperative pain is generally less after a
VATS procedure, and there is less postoperative impairment of pulmonary
function.

 

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