His medical expertise includes adult cardiac and thoracic surgery. Cardiac surgery includes coronary artery bypass grafts (on and off-pump), aortic valve replacement, and surgery of the aorta. Thoracic surgery includes lung cancer surgery (minimal access including uni portal surgery and thoracotomy where necessary), emergency rib and sternal fixation for major trauma, pleural disease (empyema, pneumothorax surgery), chest wall resection and reconstruction for tumours, mediastinal tumour excision including thymectomy, mediastinoscopy, rigid and flexible bronchoscopy, Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Sampling (EBUS), lung nodule excision, lung metastasectomy. Thoracic surgery is performed with minimal access (thoracoscopy, VATS) where possible.

In addition, Dr Aitchison is a member of the Thoracic Surgery Chapter of the Emirates Thoracic Society (ETS) and of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery (UK) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Dr Aitchison received first-class honours for his Bachelor of Medical Sciences degree in cardiac electrophysiology from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK, and a medical degree from MBBS the following year.

He completed House Officer posts at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne and trained in general surgery in the North-Eastern region. He received the FRCS from London and Edinburgh and the G B Ong medal for the highest FRCS(Edinburgh) examination mark. He trained in cardiothoracic surgery on the Northern Regional Rotation at Freeman Hospital, Newcastle James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, and Papworth Hospital, Cambridge.

He received a research MD with distinction on Lung Transplantation from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He received both the Garfield Weston Trust and the Royal College of Surgeons of England Augustus Newman Research Fellowship Awards. He undertook a senior clinical fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at Barnes Jewish and Christian Hospital North-East with Washington University in St. Louis, USA.

Dr James received his FRCS in Cardiothoracic Surgery in 2006 and Certificate of Completion of Training UK (CCT PMETB) in 2007. He received a Postgraduate Certificate in Education in 2019. He was the Negotiating Committee Chair and Foundation (two-year UK internship) Programme Director for Basildon Hospital and the Deputy Foundation Programme Director for his region in England.

He has published on cardiac and thoracic surgical topics in eminent journals, including Transplantation, Heart, Annals of Thoracic Surgery, European Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Journal of Cancer and Tumour International, and he has an abstract in Circulation.

Special Interests:

Thoracic Surgery