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Home > DC Providers > Plastic Surgeons

Dr. Christopher Ernst Attinger, MD

Accepting New Patients

(740 Ratings)

Specializes in: Plastic Surgery

Yale School of Medicine (1981)

Professional interests include: osteomyelitis, amputation, microsurgery, and more.

3800 Reservoir Road NW BLES Building, 1st. Floor
Washington, DC 20007

(202) 444-8751

Dr. Christopher Ernst Attinger, MD is a plastic surgeon in Washington, DC specializing in plastic surgery. He graduated from Yale School of Medicine in 1981 and has 44 years of experience. Dr. Christopher Ernst Attinger, MD is affiliated with MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, MedStar Health and MEDSTAR MEDICAL GROUP II LLC.

Office Locations

Address:

3800 Reservoir Road NW BLES Building, 1st. Floor
Washington, DC 20007

Some issues Dr. Christopher Ernst Attinger, MD can help you with:

Skin Grafting

When a large area of skin is too damaged to heal, a skin graft may be used to protect the tissue underneath and reduce scarring. A layer of healthy skin is taken and moved to the injured area, where it is fixed in place. Skin grafts are used to treat burns, infections, large wounds, ulcers, and other significant problems that affect the skin.

There are several different types of skin graft, depending on where the donor skin is taken from:

Autografts, where healthy skin is taken from another place on the patient's body
Allografts, where the donor skin is taken from another person or cadaver
Xenografts, which are harvested from animals and are used temporarily like a dressing to cover a wound
Synthetic grafts, which are made from non-biological materials, like silicone

In all cases, the skin graft may either be full-thickness or partial-thickness. While thicker grafts make recovery more difficult for the donor site, they heal more easily than thinner grafts.

Before skin graft surgery, patients are given anesthesia so they cannot feel any pain. If using an autograft, the surgeon carefully measures and removes the skin from the donor site. Sometimes the graft is cut in a mesh-like pattern, to allow a small piece of donated skin to stretch and cover a larger area. This also helps oxygen pass through the graft. The site where the skin graft will go is cleaned well to remove any dirt, bacteria, or dead skin cells. Then the skin graft is placed and attached with stitches or staples. It is often covered with antibacterial ointment and supportive bandages for the first few days.

As the skin graft heals into its new position, new blood vessels grow to reach and support the skin. Depending on the thickness of the graft, oil glands, sweat glands, and hair follicles may also regrow. Recovery time depends on the thickness of the graft and the overall health of the skin in the grafted area, but it generally takes from two to four weeks.

In The News

“"The way we look at it now is more about function," says Chris Attinger, a plastic surgeon and specialist in limb salvage at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.”—"Opting for amputation and prostheses when all else fails", Washington Post, May 2014

“There are exceptions, however, as Dr. Christopher Attinger realized when confronted with a challenging sore on Joshua Pennington 's foot that just wouldn't heal.”—"Therapy a sweet success", The Washington Times, June 2008

“Dr. Christopher Attinger, director of the wound healing center at George Washington Hospital, says the casualties caused by IEDs have led to "a qualitative leap in our understanding of head trauma."”—"From war, lives are saved", The Washington Times, May 2007

amputation	19
bone surgery	43
compression therapy	43
debridement (removal of unhealthy tissue)	208
doctor visit	1013
excision	235
hospital care	132
hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy	167
immobilization	72
inpatient care	132
lower extremity surgery	82
plastic surgery procedures	103
reconstructive surgery	103
tendon surgery	21
tissue transfer	42
transplant procedures	22
wound repair (e.g. stitches)	230

**Gender**
Male	228
Female	239

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	253
Black	182
Hispanic	16
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	150
From 75 to 84	118
85 and over	67
Less than 65	132

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	61
Stroke	9
Ischemic Heart Disease	52
Depression	28
Chronic Kidney Disease	56
Asthma	12
Osteoperosis	9
Atrial Fibrilation	19
Heart Failure	43
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	16
Diabetes	58
Dementia	15
Cancer	12

amputation	30
bone surgery	60
compression therapy	33
debridement (removal of unhealthy tissue)	179
doctor visit	1001
excision	218
hospital care	206
hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy	16
immobilization	55
inpatient care	206
lower extremity surgery	109
plastic surgery procedures	148
reconstructive surgery	148
tendon surgery	20
tissue transfer	84
transplant procedures	21
wound repair (e.g. stitches)	299

**Gender**
Male	258
Female	233

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	241
Black	220
Hispanic	18
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	163
From 75 to 84	124
85 and over	71
Less than 65	133

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	59
Stroke	11
Ischemic Heart Disease	51
Depression	24
Chronic Kidney Disease	55
Asthma	13
Osteoperosis	10
Atrial Fibrilation	16
Heart Failure	47
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	18
Diabetes	58
Dementia	18
Cancer	14

amputation	45
bone surgery	66
compression therapy	38
debridement (removal of unhealthy tissue)	94
doctor visit	1088
excision	161
hospital care	105
immobilization	62
incision and drainage	15
inpatient care	105
lower extremity surgery	160
minimally invasive procedures	12
plastic surgery procedures	155
reconstructive surgery	155
tendon surgery	34
tissue transfer	86
transplant procedures	22
wound repair (e.g. stitches)	310

**Gender**
Male	490
Female	472

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	492
Black	414
Hispanic	28
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	318
From 75 to 84	236
85 and over	118
Less than 65	290

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	63
Stroke	11
Ischemic Heart Disease	54
Depression	31
Chronic Kidney Disease	60
Asthma	16
Osteoperosis	10
Atrial Fibrilation	18
Heart Failure	46
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	18
Diabetes	65
Dementia	19
Cancer	11

amputation	27
bone surgery	36
compression therapy	26
debridement (removal of unhealthy tissue)	135
doctor visit	1021
excision	149
hospital care	106
immobilization	42
incision and drainage	10
inpatient care	106
lower extremity surgery	85
plastic surgery procedures	133
reconstructive surgery	133
tendon surgery	12
tissue transfer	74
transplant procedures	13
wound repair (e.g. stitches)	274

**Gender**
Male	236
Female	205

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	208
Black	198
Hispanic	19
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	148
From 75 to 84	97
85 and over	57
Less than 65	139

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	63
Stroke	11
Ischemic Heart Disease	56
Depression	31
Chronic Kidney Disease	67
Asthma	22
Osteoperosis	9
Atrial Fibrilation	17
Heart Failure	41
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	15
Diabetes	67
Dementia	24
Cancer	10

amputation	46
bone surgery	27
compression therapy	22
debridement (removal of unhealthy tissue)	92
doctor visit	1042
excision	120
hospital care	12
immobilization	21
incision and drainage	14
inpatient care	12
lower extremity surgery	116
plastic surgery procedures	123
reconstructive surgery	123
tendon surgery	29
tissue transfer	70
transplant procedures	30
wound repair (e.g. stitches)	294

**Gender**
Male	250
Female	207

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	205
Black	211
Hispanic	18
Asian	11
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	163
From 75 to 84	113
85 and over	47
Less than 65	134

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	60
Stroke	11
Ischemic Heart Disease	50
Depression	29
Chronic Kidney Disease	67
Asthma	13
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	16
Heart Failure	43
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	16
Diabetes	62
Dementia	22
Cancer	10

amputation	70
bone surgery	64
debridement (removal of unhealthy tissue)	113
doctor visit	868
excision	178
incision and drainage	31
lower extremity surgery	199
plastic surgery procedures	133
reconstructive surgery	133
tendon surgery	34
tissue transfer	51
transplant procedures	35
wound repair (e.g. stitches)	283

**Gender**
Male	220
Female	194

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	184
Black	189
Hispanic	15
Asian	11
Other	15
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	153
From 75 to 84	96
85 and over	57
Less than 65	108

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	68
Stroke	10
Ischemic Heart Disease	56
Depression	32
Chronic Kidney Disease	70
Asthma	13
Osteoperosis	11
Atrial Fibrilation	16
Heart Failure	39
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	18
Diabetes	67
Dementia	23
Cancer	10

amputation	47
bone surgery	75
debridement (removal of unhealthy tissue)	96
doctor visit	1100
excision	172
incision and drainage	20
lower extremity surgery	201
plastic surgery procedures	109
reconstructive surgery	109
tendon surgery	59
tissue transfer	51
transplant procedures	60
wound repair (e.g. stitches)	261

**Gender**
Male	239
Female	202

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	193
Black	214
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	14
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	150
From 75 to 84	107
85 and over	61
Less than 65	123

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	70
Stroke	7
Ischemic Heart Disease	57
Depression	32
Chronic Kidney Disease	68
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	6
Atrial Fibrilation	15
Heart Failure	38
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	16
Diabetes	67
Dementia	27
Cancer	9

amputation	46
bone surgery	47
debridement (removal of unhealthy tissue)	142
doctor visit	1150
excision	157
hospital care	12
incision and drainage	17
inpatient care	12
lower extremity surgery	165
plastic surgery procedures	51
reconstructive surgery	51
tendon surgery	55
tissue transfer	5
transplant procedures	56
wound repair (e.g. stitches)	194

**Gender**
Male	229
Female	196

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	172
Black	220
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	17
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	165
From 75 to 84	97
85 and over	46
Less than 65	117

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	69
Stroke	8
Ischemic Heart Disease	58
Depression	30
Chronic Kidney Disease	65
Asthma	11
Osteoperosis	7
Atrial Fibrilation	16
Heart Failure	41
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	15
Diabetes	65
Dementia	23
Cancer	9

amputation	41
bone surgery	48
compression therapy	30
debridement (removal of unhealthy tissue)	256
doctor visit	2442
excision	305
immobilization	29
incision and drainage	14
lower extremity surgery	195
plastic surgery procedures	201
reconstructive surgery	201
tendon surgery	92
tissue transfer	112
transplant procedures	93
wound repair (e.g. stitches)	529

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2013 - 2021

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Christopher Ernst Attinger, MD for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. Christopher Ernst Attinger, MD treated as a plastic surgeon in Washington, DC were wound repair (e.g. stitches), excision, lower extremity surgery and debridement (removal of unhealthy tissue).

amputation	43
bone surgery	51
compression therapy	32
debridement (removal of unhealthy tissue)	147
doctor visit	1195
excision	189
hospital care	95
immobilization	47
incision and drainage	17
inpatient care	95
lower extremity surgery	149
minimally invasive procedures	12
plastic surgery procedures	131
reconstructive surgery	131
tendon surgery	40
tissue transfer	67
transplant procedures	39
wound repair (e.g. stitches)	299

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2013 - 2021

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Christopher Ernst Attinger, MD.

**Gender**
Female	194
Male	215

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	184
Asian / Pacific Islander	2
Non-Hispanic White	194
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	11
Other	4

**Age**
85 and over	52
75 to 84	98
Less than 65	117
65 to 74	141

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Christopher Ernst Attinger, MD From 2013 - 2021

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Dr. Christopher Ernst Attinger, MD treated were hypertension, chronic kidney disease, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Hypertension	60
High Cholesterol	51
Stroke	7
Ischemic Heart Disease	43
Depression	23
Chronic Kidney Disease	50
Asthma	10
Osteoporosis	7
Heart Failure	33
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	13
Diabetes	50
Atrial Fibrillation	13
Dementia	17
Cancer	8

Education & Training

Dr. Christopher Ernst Attinger, MD graduated from Yale School of Medicine in 1981. He completed residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Plastic Surgery and has a state license in District of Columbia.

Medical School: Yale School of Medicine (1981)

Residency: Brigham and Women's Hospital (1986)

Board Certification: American Board of Plastic Surgery, Plastic Surgery

Licensed In: District of Columbia

Affiliations & Hospitals

Dr. Christopher Ernst Attinger, MD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital

MedStar Washington Hospital Center

MedStar Health

MEDSTAR MEDICAL GROUP II LLC

Insurance Information

Please note: Insurance information may change at any time, and the provider may accept your insurance plan even if it is not listed below. Please contact the provider's office to confirm that your insurance is accepted.

Dr. Christopher Ernst Attinger, MD appears to accept the following insurance providers: CIGNA Choice Fund PPO, MAMSI, First Health PPO, Blue Choice, Golden Rule, Great-West Healthcare, TRICARE, Community Care Network (CCN), Coventry, TRICARE Reserve Select, Aetna Managed Choice POS, Beech Street PPO, Aetna HMO, Kaiser Select, Kaiser Permanente, CIGNA EPO, Aetna Medicare PPO, CIGNA Indemnity, AARP, Medicare Advantage, Coventry National Network PPO, United Healthcare, Medicaid, Cigna, Virginia Premier Health Plan, WellPoint, Aetna, CIGNA Network Open Access, Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS), HealthyBlue PPO, MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice, CareFirst NASCO, CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO, Traditional Medicare Fee for Service, United Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO), Innovation Health: Open POS Plus, MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families, Carefirst EPO, Innovation Health: HMO & EPO Plus, United Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program, CareFirst Administrators, United Student Resources, United Select HMO - EPO/NPP, United MD IPA Preferred (POS), United Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO), Uniformed Services Family Health Plan (USFHP), Innovation Health: Network Only Plus, United MD IPA (HMO), United Choice Plus, CareFirst Blue Card Program (Out-of-area BCBS plans), Innovation Health: PPO, HumanaChoice Honor's plan PPO, MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance, United Choice, United Optimum Choice, Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus), Innovation Health: POS, Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS), Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus, United Select Plus (POS), CareFirst BC/BS Advantage Core/Enhanced, United Erickson Advantage Plans, Priority Partners - Maryland Health Choice, Health Services for Children with Special Needs (HSCSN), Carefirst Healthy Blue (HMO/POS), D-SNP), I-SNP, CareFirst MedStar PPO, CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity, United Core Essential (HMO), Innovation Health: POS Plus, HumanaChoice PPO, United Nursing Home Plan (C-SNP, Innovation Health: Open POS II, Innovation Health: Indemnity, United GEHA (for all other states) Compass Rose, Veterans Affairs Community Care Network, United Navigate, Carefirst Blue Preferred PPO, Police and Fire Clinic, Employee Health Plan (EHP) and CareFirst MedStar Select PPO.

Insurance Accepted by Provider includes:

According to our sources, Dr. Christopher Ernst Attinger, MD accepts the following insurance providers:

CIGNA Choice Fund PPO

MAMSI

First Health PPO

Blue Choice

Golden Rule

Great-West Healthcare

TRICARE

Community Care Network (CCN)

Coventry

TRICARE Reserve Select

Aetna Managed Choice POS

Beech Street PPO

Aetna HMO

Kaiser Select

Kaiser Permanente

CIGNA EPO

Aetna Medicare PPO

CIGNA Indemnity

AARP

Medicare Advantage

Coventry National Network PPO

United Healthcare

Medicaid

Cigna

Virginia Premier Health Plan

WellPoint

Aetna

CIGNA Network Open Access

Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)

HealthyBlue PPO

MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice

CareFirst NASCO

CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO

Traditional Medicare Fee for Service

United Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)

Innovation Health: Open POS Plus

MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families

Carefirst EPO

Innovation Health: HMO & EPO Plus

United Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program

CareFirst Administrators

United Student Resources

United Select HMO - EPO/NPP

United MD IPA Preferred (POS)

United Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO)

Uniformed Services Family Health Plan (USFHP)

Innovation Health: Network Only Plus

United MD IPA (HMO)

United Choice Plus

CareFirst Blue Card Program (Out-of-area BCBS plans)

Innovation Health: PPO

HumanaChoice Honor's plan PPO

MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance

United Choice

United Optimum Choice

Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)

Innovation Health: POS

Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)

Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus

United Select Plus (POS)

CareFirst BC/BS Advantage Core/Enhanced

United Erickson Advantage Plans

Priority Partners - Maryland Health Choice

Health Services for Children with Special Needs (HSCSN)

Carefirst Healthy Blue (HMO/POS)

D-SNP)

I-SNP

CareFirst MedStar PPO

CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity

United Core Essential (HMO)

Innovation Health: POS Plus

HumanaChoice PPO

United Nursing Home Plan (C-SNP

Innovation Health: Open POS II

Innovation Health: Indemnity

United GEHA (for all other states) Compass Rose

Veterans Affairs Community Care Network

United Navigate

Carefirst Blue Preferred PPO

Police and Fire Clinic

Employee Health Plan (EHP)

CareFirst MedStar Select PPO

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Ratings & Reviews

Dr. Christopher Ernst Attinger, MD has an exceptional overall rating with an average of 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 740 ratings. We collect ratings and reviews of Dr. Christopher Ernst Attinger, MD from all over the web to help you find the right in Washington, DC.

4.8

Overall Rating

(740 Ratings)

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Reviews From Around The Web

Overall Rating: 5.0 2022-12-19