Dr. Peter Dyrud & Research

[Lucidus]

Another question for you all out there. You were so helpful on the last one - so here comes another!

First of all, has anyone here heard of Dr. Peter Dyrud out of Minnesota?

The second part of this question is can you check into the track record of surgeons to see their success rates, redos, type of surgery they perform, etc....

 

[Mara]

Hi there

I just asked my surgeon about his track record. He was very honest with me. I think most surgeons will be.
Some surgeons, there is a guy in Oklahoma City, Elkins is his name, has his own webpage and all his stats, but I think that is a little bit too much like Dr. Frankenstein for me, if you know what I mean.

 

[ALCapshaw]

Mara,

Glad your surgeon was so upfront with his numbers.

I could NOT get any exact numbers from either of mine. The surgeon who performed my AVR only gave me generalities that this type of surgery "should be" in the 90 to 95% range. I couldn't get much more from him and he didn't want to discuss alternatives.

'AL'

 

[Granbonny]

Your surgeon

Your surgeon

Do you trust your Cardiologist? Did he recommend your surgeon?He would know the best for you..

 

[Nancy]

I agree with Bonny

If you find a site that gives info on surgeons, it's just stats and a lot of hype probably. At worst, it's self-promoting stats. It really doesn't tell you anything about who does it best and has the least amount of problems.

The medical community knows who in their ranks does the best job. They might not converse with you a whole lot about a particular surgeon, but if you like and trust your cardiologist, I would listen carefully to whom he/she names at the top of the list. After all, you'll be going back to see the cardiologist after your surgery, so he'll want you to be a happy camper.

Good luck

 

[Lucidus]

Trust my cardiologist?

Trust my cardiologist?

I don't know if I trust him. I heard he was good. I went to a Family Practice doctor in my clinic that I "Have" to go to according to insurance. Then he set me up with an echo. He referred me to my cardiologist since there were issues with the echo. He referred me "in clinic" of course. Then my cardiologist referred me to my surgeon who is also part of the clinic/system. I don't know that it's a matter of trust. They pretty much refer you to who they work with in the system. My doctor at Park Nicollent Clinic is not going to refer me to an excellent surgeon he knows as Mayo because it is not in the same system. Am I off base here? It would seem to me that referrals would happen within the system and sure they might refer you to the best within the system, but is that really the best surgeon for the case?

 

[Mara]

Al-
I might have been that he knew I am a lawyer and I could find out anyway. Plus, he was recommended by my cardio and he knows my cardio is also a family friend. Sooooo.

Lucidus- If you think you are stuck in somekind of an "in clinic" thing as around and see what your options are. You never know until you ask. Maybe you family doc can convince the insurance that you must have the best surgeon, not just any surgeon.
If you know any doctors, nurses, pharmacists ask them who'd they'd go to if it was their surgery or their family member's surgery.

 

[ALCapshaw]

This takes us back to the original question posed by Lucidus, namely how can WE (any potentional candidate for surgery) check out the numbers for surgeons we would like to consider? Specifically, the number of similar procedures performed annually, mortality / morbidity rates, and similar information for the hospitals they operate from.

'AL'

 

[Nancy]

Mara's got an excellent point about asking around. People love to relate bad experiences about surgeons and they'll be brutally honest about what they know, also they will tell you about the fantastic surgeons they know. If you ask enough people, a picture will emerge. Going to a world reknowned facility is also a very safe option. Only the best stay there for long, and these facilities seem to categorize what guy does the best job with which procedure.

But if you want to stay close to home, which Joe did, he had terrific results by trusting the answers of the people he knew. He was very well taken care of within 20 miles of home. We may be especially lucky to have gifted people here.

Being in a clinic setting and having to go to only those doctors will definitely limit you. See what your options are.

 

[Lucidus]

Well...

Well...

Well, it's actually a clinic that is affiliated with a local hospital. There are several good things going here and they are:
This hospital was recently listed in the TOP 100 Cardiac hospitals in the country. (signs are up everywhere - but what does this mean for valve repair?). Also, my mother-in-law worked at the hospital for 30 years and has a lot of respect for my surgeon and Cardiologist. So I'm feeling pretty comfortable - but I'd still like the "dirt" on my surgeon. You'd think that would be public information somewhere...

 

[Lucidus]

Well...

Well...

Well, it's actually a clinic that is affiliated with a local hospital. There are several good things going here and they are:
This hospital was recently listed in the TOP 100 Cardiac hospitals in the country. (signs are up everywhere - but what does this mean for valve repair?). Also, my mother-in-law worked at the hospital for 30 years and has a lot of respect for my surgeon and Cardiologist. So I'm feeling pretty comfortable - but I'd still like the "dirt" on my surgeon. You'd think that would be public information somewhere...

 

[Mara]

You can always go to the court clerk's office in the county where you live and see if there have been any malpractice actions filed against your surgeon. There probably are. There are two kinds of surgeons: those who have been sued and those who will be. So, seeing the malpractice actions might not really tell you anything except that your doc has done a lot of medicine. There will always be bad outcomes. Some people have weird physiology, surgeons mess up, stuff happens, that doesn't mean it will happen to your or that it won't happen to you. "You pays yer money and takes yer chance" to a certain extent.
I suppose you could call the local branch of the AMA or your city's medical society, ( as in Minneapolis Medical Society) they probably keep Better Business Bureau-type stats.

Best is to get your mother-in-law to ask her pals at the hospital, doctors if she knows any, to tell who they would go to if it was them, or their kid, or spouse. That's one of the best ways to tell.
My parents and brother are all in the medical profession in one way or another, so in that respect I have been lucky and able to get the "dirt" on docs over the years.
Good luck
Mara

 

[cookie]

ankle swelling

ankle swelling

I'm posting this under heart related issues because I had heard that swollen ankles were related to CHF. This just started this past Sat. My left ankle & foot are swelling. It comes and goes during the day. I haven't gained any weight overall but this ankle swelling bothers me. I do have varicose veins in that leg, but I don't know if I should see my cardio or my pcp. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[ALCapshaw]

Swollen ankles is definitely a 'possible' cause of CHF and should be checked out. Watch your weight DAILY. If you gain 3 lbs in one day, get to a doctor soon (that day?)

You may want to call either (or both) your PCP and cardiologist and ask for their nurse. If you can't get in touch with one of them, you may want to go the ER, especially if you have gained more than 3 lbs in one day.

'AL'

 

[Nancy]

Hi Cookie-

Joe has been battling CHF for many years. He takes Lasix and Aldactone to control it and that is working very well. No more swelling.

If it's CHF, fluid can also accumulate in other organs and areas of the body. It just shows up the worst in feet and ankles because of gravity. Al is right about the weight gain of 3 lbs. in a day. It puts a terrible strain on your heart and if it is in your lungs, it can cause breathlessness.

You mentioned varicose veins, and that can do it too.

You should go off salt right away, and I mean none or as close as you can get and that includes cheese and sandwich meats, none in cooking, and none at the table. Then call your doc and have it checked out ASAP.

Good luck and let us know what happens.