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Home > OH Providers > Thoracic (Chest) Surgeons

Dr. Usman Ahmad, MD

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Specializes in: Thoracic Surgery

Professional interests include: thyroid cancer, cystic fibrosis (CF), lung mass, and more.

9500 Euclid Avenue Mail Code J4-1
Cleveland, OH 44195

(216) 444-5640

Dr. Usman Ahmad, MD is a thoracic surgeon in Cleveland, OH specializing in thoracic surgery. Dr. Usman Ahmad, MD is affiliated with Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Clinic Main Campus and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Office Locations

Address:

9500 Euclid Avenue Mail Code J4-1
Cleveland, OH 44195

Some issues Dr. Usman Ahmad, MD can help you with:

Bronchoscopy

Bronchoscopy is a procedure in which a thin tube with a camera, called a bronchoscope, is inserted in the mouth or nose and slowly advanced to the lungs. This allows doctors to see the respiratory tract, which includes the throat, larynx (voice box), trachea (windpipe), bronchi (airways), and lungs. Doctors may recommend those who have or show signs of lung problems - for example, lung cancer or difficulty breathing - to undergo a bronchoscopy.

In performing a diagnostic bronchoscopy, doctors may only wish to visualize the respiratory tract, or doctors may also collect samples of tissue or fluid. The samples can help diagnose patients' conditions or, if patients have cancer, they can be used for staging purposes. One method for sample collection is bronchoalveolar lavage. In a bronchoalveolar lavage, doctors inject saline (salt water) through the bronchoscope and then suction it out of the airways. The washout collected is tested for lung disorders. Doctors can also insert a biopsy tool to collect tissue or mucus samples. The following are biopsies that can be performed by bronchoscopy:

Brush biopsy, which uses a brush to collect samples.
Endobronchial biopsy, which uses the bronchoscope to guide forceps to sample lung tissue.
Transbronchial biopsy, which uses forceps and image guidance - such as X-rays, CT scans, or fluoroscopy - to sample lung tissue.
Transbronchial fine needle aspiration (TBNA), which uses a small needle to take samples of the lymph nodes or lungs.

For visualization, bronchoscopy can be done alone, or it can be combined with ultrasound. Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) allows real-time imaging of the airway and is used for diagnosing and staging lung cancer, as well as for determining where the cancer has spread. EBUS can be performed with TBNA, a procedure known as endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA).

Doctors can also use bronchoscopy as a treatment for lung problems. For example, if a foreign body is trapped in the airway, doctors can insert forceps through the bronchoscope to remove it. If the airway has become narrowed - which may occur if patients have an infection, cancer, or some other inflammatory issue - bronchoscopy can be used to place a device called a stent in the area of constriction. The stent will keep the airway open, allowing the patient to breathe properly.

During a bronchoscopy, patients will be given medication (sedative) to help them relax. If it is only a diagnostic bronchoscopy, patients will be kept awake, but if the bronchoscopy is for therapeutic purposes, patients will be put to sleep by general anesthesia. After the procedure, patients will need to stay in the hospital for a few hours. They will not be able to eat or drink for about 2 hours. Some patients may experience discomfort, such as a sore throat or pain while swallowing. Throat lozenges and gargling may help alleviate these symptoms, which should go away after a few days. Patients will need to have someone drive them home once their doctor determines that they are ready.

Lung Transplant

Patients who have very severe lung disease may need a lung transplant. The diseased lung is entirely removed and replaced with a healthy lung, usually donated by a person who died. Either one or both lungs can be transplanted.

Contrary to popular belief, lung transplant is rarely used to treat lung cancer. It is a more common treatment for patients with other advanced lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, sarcoidosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Lung transplant is a serious operation and is generally used as a last resort for patients who have only a short time to live without surgery.

During a transplant, an incision is made on the side of the chest (for a single lung) or in the middle (for both lungs). Patients may be hooked up to a heart-lung bypass machine, which will do the work of moving blood and oxygen through the body during the procedure. After the diseased lung is cut away from the main airway and blood vessels, the donor lung is stitched into place. Surgery may take as long as twelve hours, and a hospital stay of two to three weeks after surgery is not uncommon. For the first hours or day after surgery, patients use a ventilator, or a machine to help them breathe. Tubes will be inserted into the chest to help drain excess air and fluid. During recovery, physical therapy and breathing exercises are used to help the new lung work as well as possible.

Lung capacity is carefully monitored for several months after surgery. Patients who have had a transplant will also have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of their lives. These drugs stop the body's immune system from attacking the new lung. The main risks after a transplant are infection and rejection (when the immune system attacks the 'foreign' lung). A healthy lifestyle, including maintaining a diet high in vegetables and lean protein, not smoking, and getting enough exercise, is important to keeping the lungs functioning as well as possible. With proper care, many patients can live ten or even twenty years after a lung transplant.

Tracheostomy

Tracheostomy or tracheotomy is a surgical procedure to open an airway in a blocked trachea, or windpipe. A small hole is created in the neck, and a tube is often inserted into the hole to provide support and drainage. The patient can breathe through the hole that is created.

Tracheostomy is performed for a variety of reasons when a bypass to the normal airway is needed. A patient may have an object lodged in their throat or have an injury that damaged their windpipe. They may have cancer or a swelling in their throat that stops air from moving freely. Sometimes tracheostomy is performed to make breathing easier when patients are paralyzed or have trouble coming off a ventilator.

A tracheostomy can be temporary or permanent. A temporary tracheostomy tends to heal over easily when the tube is removed, leaving a small scar. A permanent tracheostomy can make speech difficult at first. It takes time to learn how to use the throat and air in a new way.

Tracheostomy is a fairly simple procedure, but it can make all the difference in a life or death situation.

doctor visit	21
hospital care	11
inpatient care	11

**Gender**
Male	92
Female	64

**Age**
From 65 to 74	84
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	34

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	69
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	59
Depression	42
Chronic Kidney Disease	45
Asthma	32
Osteoperosis	0
Atrial Fibrilation	29
Heart Failure	42
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	53
Diabetes	41
Dementia	0
Cancer	36

dissection	11
doctor visit	113
excision	11
hospital care	10
inpatient care	10
lobectomy	11
lymph node procedures	11
minimally invasive procedures	22
thoracic (chest) surgery procedures	22
tracheal (windpipe) procedures	21

**Gender**
Male	88
Female	72

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	137
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	84
From 75 to 84	34
85 and over	12
Less than 65	30

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	73
Stroke	10
Ischemic Heart Disease	59
Depression	31
Chronic Kidney Disease	54
Asthma	45
Osteoperosis	9
Atrial Fibrilation	23
Heart Failure	35
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	45
Diabetes	44
Dementia	15
Cancer	41

doctor visit	112
hospital care	11
inpatient care	11
tracheal (windpipe) procedures	28

**Gender**
Male	94
Female	68

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	141
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	82
From 75 to 84	37
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	67
Stroke	9
Ischemic Heart Disease	64
Depression	29
Chronic Kidney Disease	58
Asthma	11
Osteoperosis	9
Atrial Fibrilation	30
Heart Failure	38
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	44
Diabetes	44
Dementia	10
Cancer	43

**Gender**
Male	110
Female	73

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	163
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	92
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	44

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	70
Stroke	7
Ischemic Heart Disease	58
Depression	33
Chronic Kidney Disease	60
Asthma	7
Osteoperosis	15
Atrial Fibrilation	26
Heart Failure	35
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	40
Diabetes	39
Dementia	13
Cancer	37

dissection	23
doctor visit	175
excision	23
lobectomy	11
lymph node procedures	23
minimally invasive procedures	34
thoracic (chest) surgery procedures	34
tracheal (windpipe) procedures	14

**Gender**
Male	109
Female	81

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	161
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	103
From 75 to 84	51
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	74
High Cholesterol	67
Stroke	10
Ischemic Heart Disease	53
Depression	35
Chronic Kidney Disease	54
Asthma	7
Osteoperosis	13
Atrial Fibrilation	21
Heart Failure	28
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	48
Diabetes	33
Dementia	11
Cancer	42

dissection	11
doctor visit	103
excision	11
lymph node procedures	11
minimally invasive procedures	10
thoracic (chest) surgery procedures	10

**Gender**
Male	66
Female	80

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	117
Black	15
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	83
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	30

Hypertension	72
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	47
Depression	34
Chronic Kidney Disease	55
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	18
Atrial Fibrilation	21
Heart Failure	34
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	48
Diabetes	34
Dementia	12
Cancer	45

dissection	34
doctor visit	115
excision	34
lobectomy	24
lymph node procedures	34
minimally invasive procedures	58
thoracic (chest) surgery procedures	58

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2015 - 2021

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Usman Ahmad, MD for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. Usman Ahmad, MD treated as a thoracic surgeon in Cleveland, OH were minimally invasive procedures, thoracic (chest) surgery procedures, tracheal (windpipe) procedures and dissection.

aspiration	11
bronchoscopy	11
dissection	19
doctor visit	112
excision	19
hospital care	10
inpatient care	10
lobectomy	15
lymph node procedures	19
minimally invasive procedures	31
thoracic (chest) surgery procedures	31
tracheal (windpipe) procedures	20

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2015 - 2021

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Usman Ahmad, MD.

**Gender**
Male	55
Female	43

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	1
Asian / Pacific Islander	0
Non-Hispanic White	71
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	0
Other	0

**Age**
75 to 84	12
85 and over	1
Less than 65	13
65 to 74	52

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Usman Ahmad, MD From 2015 - 2021

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Dr. Usman Ahmad, MD treated were hypertension, high cholesterol, ischemic heart disease and chronic kidney disease.

Hypertension	44
High Cholesterol	42
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	34
Depression	20
Chronic Kidney Disease	32
Asthma	11
Osteoporosis	6
Heart Failure	21
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	27
Diabetes	23
Atrial Fibrillation	15
Cancer	24
Dementia	6

Education & Training

He completed residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He is certified by the Surgery - General Surgery Thoracic Surgery - Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery and has a state license in Ohio.

Residency: Yale-New Haven Hospital (2013)

Board Certification: Surgery - General Surgery Thoracic Surgery - Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

Licensed In: Ohio

Affiliations & Hospitals

Dr. Usman Ahmad, MD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

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General Payments

These charts describe general payments received by Dr. Usman Ahmad, MD. Doctors may receive payments for a number of reasons, including meal compensation, travel compensation, and consulting.

**Payments by Company**
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP	$2,685 TAGRISSO $2,685
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.	$2,355 DUPIXENT $2,355
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.	$1,638 Da Vinci Surgical System $1,638
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.	$574 $574
Bovie Medical Corporation	$137 $137
Other	$528 Noninvasive Hemodynamic Monitoring $122	UPTRAVI $110	Progel $25	SURGICEL Family of Absorbable Hemostats $20	$251

**Types of Payments**
Consulting Fee	$5,040
Travel and Lodging	$1,439
Food and Beverage	$847
Compensation for serving as faculty or as a speaker for a non-accredited and noncertified continuing education program	$574
Education	$17

Biography

Dr. Usman Ahmad is a specialist in thoracic surgery. His areas of expertise include thyroid cancer, lung cancer surgery, and pericarditis. He trained at Yale-New Haven Hospital for residency. In addition to English, Dr. Ahmad (or staff) speaks Urdu and Punjabi. He is professionally affiliated with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Cleveland Clinic Main Campus.