2nd Opinion

[cpj123]

I am assuming others have struggled with this:

1. I like my surgeon and he has a good rep. But he does other heart work and does not only do valves. Also Moses Cone Hospital is not a leader in the field. Duke is nearby and has a better hospital reputation.

2. Is it prevailing thinking to get a 2nd opinion no matter what? Of course the opinion probably won't be any different and it will be more like shopping.

Moses Cone is right by my house...I know a pretty dumb reason ...but my treatment has been great and the thought of driving back in forth seems like extra stress.

TIA

 

[pellicle]

Hi

1. I like my surgeon and he has a good rep. But he does other heart work and does not only do valves. Also Moses Cone Hospital is not a leader in the field. Duke is nearby and has a better hospital reputation.
...
Moses Cone is right by my house...I know a pretty dumb reason ...but my treatment has been great and the thought of driving back in forth seems like extra stress.

well I don't think we have any sugeons in Australa who only do valves ... heart specialists of course, but only doing valve sounds like some sort of machine replication. I would be *most* interested in the hosptials reputation for hospital acquired infections. (Google nosocomial infection) and what their general rates are like that. On my 2011 operation I got an infection from what is most likely my own skin during the surgery. It is propionibacteria acnes (yes acne) and if you google that one you'll find that it gives much grief to those doing hip and knee and back prosthetic surgery. I know someone else who got MSR in their wound.

This sugery isn't really cutting edge anymore so to me go with a hospital which has good (low) rates of infection. If your Surgeon has done a number of valve replacements and knows well how to size the valve (ask if they have a good selection of valve sizes as its critical to good outcomes) then you'll be good I reckon.

 

[AZ Don]

Duke University is the #4 Cardiology hospital in the country
http://health.usnews.com/best-hospi...l-center-6360355/cardiology-and-heart-surgery
... and less than an hour from Moses Cone. Yes, if I were you, in this situation I would get a second opinion - at Duke. While it is likely that you would have a successful operation at either hospital, the detail in the rankings, both on US News and Healthgrades indicate a higher chance of success at Duke.

 

[pellicle]

Wow Don that's really an interesting site

http://health.usnews.com/best-hospi...hospital-6360002/cardiology-and-heart-surgery

Moses looks low grade on that site.

Now I'm crurios if we have such data rankings here.

 

[Dodger Fan]

I live in Temecula, California. My options are Scripps in San Diego (I have been going to the GP and Cardio here since 1998) and Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles. Scripps is much closer and is a great hospital, but based on the US News rankings and other readings, I think I am going to have my AVR at Cedars. It's close to 100 miles away. Others have to fly to other states to have it done. I feel lucky that I live close to L.A. I think you should feel lucky that you live so close to Duke and go there.

 

[mattswife]

If Duke University Hospital is "local" to you (ie within 60-90 minutes), then that's where I would go.

And, always get a second opinion when facing surgery! The first surgeon we went to was at Washington Hospital Center (very good) and we liked him. But we went to Johns Hopkins to get a second opinion, and ended up liking the surgeon there much more than the first. Our surgeon at Hopkins checks all of the echo videos himself - he does not rely strictly on a report. He also thinks more carefully about a patient's quality of life as it relates to valve selection, and also in terms of emerging technologies. I am so glad we got our second opinion!