The Nuss Procedure and Dr. Donald Nuss

People generally search for rib flare or the nuss procedure after they've understood more about pectus excavatum, but many are unaware about who invented the Nuss Procedure.

Image of Dr. Donald Nuss

The Nuss Procedure was invented by Donald Nuss in 1986 as a more efficient and non-invasive surgery, essentially replacing the Ravitch Procedure and its modifications, which dominated the field for pectus excavatum surgeries. The Ravitch Procedure required the removal of skin and some muscles of the chest to access the rib cage cartilage (the Ravitch Procedure is actually a modification of the first Pectus Excavatum surgery committed by Ferdinand Sauerbruch). The biggest revolutionary act were small incisions on the rib cage to allow a metal bar to be inserted and turned 180 degrees to press the chest further (which was suggested in earlier attempts and in modifications of the Ravitch Procedure), thus not needing to further damage the chest in order to complete the surgery.

German Surgeon | Ferdinand Sauerbruch

The Nuss Procedure was a major modification, but influenced by earlier surgeons who also believed that cutting too much muscle or cartilage was inefficient. Some earlier surgeons committed the surgery on very young children, but later on, years before the Nuss Procedure was developed by Nuss, surgeons overwhelmingly agreed to wait for surgery until after puberty.

Celebrity Baseball Player Also Had Pectus Excavatum

When we think of athletes we think of strong men, perfectly chiseled women, people who you would think never have had major issues, but of course we're all human.

Everyone has something, could be weird, quirky, or just unfortunate things but what comes from these individuals, in all their uniqueness, can be exactly what we need? Peace of mind, inspiration, someone to look up to maybe! We forget that at the end of the day the ones we owe our identity to, or our love and enthusiasm, have also their own struggles to live through, but no matter. 

Tim Melville is an example of this, a young semi-pro athlete who was born with Pectus Excavatum. He progressed after much pain after his surgery (Nuss procedure) and worries from his parents about his chest but stayed focused on his goals to become a minor-league athlete and pressing forward to achieve a Major League title.

Currently he's signed under Cincinnati's minor league and was invited to training by the Professional MLB team the Cincinnati Reds!

If you would like to read more about Tim Melville then click here!

Plastic Surgery For Pectus Excavatum

Living with a severe case of pectus excavatum can be very tiresome or even sometimes very unwelcoming.

The fatigue, the tiredness, sore chest, etc. there could be a whole range of issues that you would probably like to overcome, but sometimes workouts just are not enough. You could be training for months, maybe even years (not to discourage you but be real) if you're truly worried about your chest and you wish to improve it then I highly recommend you speak to your doctor! Speaking to a professional would be better than just looking around forums, or YouTube (even though I do make them, cough cough).

I made this blog to help people who have pectus excavatum, mainly this is a personal blog for people who don't necessarily want to go through the whole surgery process, but would like some encouragement or support from people who avoided surgery. Some are discouraged from surgery because of money, or just fear of the surgery itself (which is understandable) but don't be foolish.

Plastic Surgery For Pectus Excavatum

There are several surgeries available for pectus excavatum which are quite effective and you can ask your doctors about them, or click the links for more details on what these procedures are and their potential costs (without insurance).

Ravitch Procedure: open surgery

Nuss Procedure: closed surgery, minimally invasive

Pectus Excavatum Without Surgery, Only Exercises!

Why I Lived With Pectus Excavatum Without Surgery

To me living with this condition and knowing that there are surgeries available for me, and then taking into account the change in the health insurance system by the Affordable Care Act here in the USA. I did not really find that committing into the Nuss Procedure (or the Ravitch Procedure) was a real priority. I have been hospitalized once before, and have met people who have struggled to get care because of delays or too many people waiting for other patients. I personally didn't want to involve myself into an even tougher system.

Sure sometimes I'm a burden to some people (lol), but to take it to surgery when I am confident in my health currently didn't really seem like a great plan. Of course I have no problem with people who have, its your choice but I'd rather wait to continue pushing myself.

Its always just something I do.

NUSS Procedure Cost | Pectus Excavatum

Pectus Excavatum Sternum Surgery: The Nuss Procedure

The Nuss Procedure was developed in 1987 by Dr. Donald Nuss as a minimally invasive procedure for people living with Pectus Excavatum. The Nuss procedure is a popular sunken chest sternum surgery which takes approximately 2 hours to complete as it requires two incisions on one side of the chest developed by Dr. Donald Nuss. An introducer is carefully inserted within, along with a stainless steel bar in order to press against the sternum which positions the sternum away from the heart and emulating a chest without Pectus Excavatum. Over the course of two years you will be able to remove the stainless steel bar from your chest.