looking for top hospital surgeon in US

[diamondfairy]

Hi, I am new to this forum. I am looking for information for my 83-year-old father. He is looking at heart value repair or heart value replacement. He lives in long island, NY but would be able to go to any surgeon or hospital in the United States. He is in otherwise good health, but has been declining due to his heart recently. Short of breath, has to stop often. Low energy etc. Low pumping capacity, but otherwise his heart is strong.

Any way to locate top rated surgeon and hospital. I have done research on the internet, but there is so much conflicting information. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[hensylee]

WELCOME to VR. there are several top rated surgeons that will be brought to your attention in just a few minutes. I am sorry that I cannot help but wanted you know that the members will give you plenty of help.

 

[Phyllis]

There are many on this forum that have been operated on at top hospitals in New York and I am sure they will reply soon. In the meantime, you might look at this url which rates the best hospitals for cardiac surgery: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/tophosp.htm

 

[Ross]

How about Chicago? Check into Patrick McCarthy at Northwestern:

http://nmhphysicians.photobooks.com/profile.asp?pict_id=5235&LastnameSearch=Y&Lastname=mcCarthy

He was a member of the transplant team at the Cleveland Clinic before going to NW. This guy even has his own artificial heart designs.

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi diamondfairy,
my parents live on long island and so do several of the members here.
there is a fantastic heart hospital right in glen cove called st. francis hospital.
my dad (73) had his aortic valve replaced there 8 yrs ago. great hospital!!!
you might want to ask your father's cardiologist as well.

new york hospital in nyc.... my father had his mitral valve repaired by dr. stephen colvin there last year in a minimally invasive method where they don't cut open the sternum. great surgeon!!! some young friends of mine just used him and had a wonderful experience.

there are many more, but i would seriously look into these.

another good surgeon is craig smith at columbia presbyterian.
(i would not recommend dr. mehmet oz at columbia although he is known as the surgeon who will operate when no other surgeon will.
i have heard stories of surgeries under him that would make me recommend you not use him. he is a wonderful public relations man (on oprah), but i've heard that it is not the same in he OR.)


i hope i've helped. any questions, please email me or just ask. i'm sure many others will come forward soon enough.
please let us know what you decide to do.
be well,
sylvia

 

[hensylee]

my nurse cousin spent her entire career in Houston Methodist hospital and it is world renowned. People go there from all over the world.

I promised diamondfairy that a bunch of us would answer her in a few minutes, so where are you, Members?

 

[ALCapshaw2]

First, there are MANY Excellent Heart Surgery Hospitals Surgeons with MANY Excellent Valve Replacement Surgeons. ANY of the Major Heart Hospitals (2000 surgeries per year) should be able to handle Valve Replacement with NO Problem. For a First Time Heart Surgery, even medium size hospitals (say 1000 surgeries per year) with experienced surgeons can do the job well.

Obviously Valve Replacement is more complex than Bypass Surgery so be sure to ask about experience and results.

When it comes to Valve REPAIR, then you are getting into a much smaller group and you definitely want someone with EXPERIENCE and a Good Track Record.

Note that MITRAL Valve Repair is done at many of the Major Heart Hospitals (Cleveland Clinic is #1). Aortic Valve Repair is much less common (and less successful).

Hope this helps you narrow your search.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[tprice54]

Data

Data

The N.Y. State Dept. of Health has statistics available for all N.Y. hospitals and doctors doing cardiac surgery. It was one of the tools I used in deciding who and where to have valve repalcement surgery. You will see St. Francis on Long Island is one of the top rated.
http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/cardiovascular/heart_disease/docs/cabg_2002-2004.pdf

 

[katie1234]

Hi there,
My mom also lives on long island and is going to have a double-valve replacement in the very near future, and we are looking at surgeons right now. My friends and I have put together this list of the top-ranked heart surgeons in New York who list valve surgery as a specialty (we haven't contacted any of them yet and have no experience, so these are just based on some ranking system where these folks have come out on top).

Dr. David Adams, MD, Mount Sinai Medical Center
Dr. Stephen Colvin, MD, NYU Medical Center
Dr. O Wayne Isom, MD, NY Presbyterian
Dr. Karl Krieger, MD, NY Presbyterian/Columbia
Dr. Samuel Lang, MD, St. Vincent's
Dr. Yoshifumi Naka, MD/PhD, NY Presbyterian/Columbia
Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD, NY Presbyterian (BUT SEE WARNING IN SYLVIA'S POST)
Dr. Robert Tranbaugh, MD, Beth Israel Medical Center

Again, I have no experience with these docs, just found them online. Good luck.

 

[diamondfairy]

thank you for all the help,

thank you for all the help,

Hi eVeryone, and thank you all for all the valuable suggestions and direction.
You are all a great group of individuals. I will keep you informed on what happens.
Dr. Colvin is the doctor that was recommended for my dad to see, so I am glad to see he is a highly rated one.

Wow all of you cut through all the extras and definately give out valuable and helpful information.

Thank You Thank You.

 

[Phyllis]

Colvin has been mentioned in many threads- here's one in particular:
http://valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19601&highlight=colvin
If you put Colvin in the search box, you will come up with many more.

 

[francie12]

Here is a good one to look into closer to you--Dr. Hillel Laks at UCLA.

 

[RCB]

Ditto

Ditto

How about Chicago? Check into Patrick McCarthy at Northwestern:

http://nmhphysicians.photobooks.com/profile.asp?pict_id=5235&LastnameSearch=Y&Lastname=mcCarthy

He was a member of the transplant team at the Cleveland Clinic before going to NW. This guy even has his own artificial heart designs.

If your father can travel and wants to check out a repair, have him visit Cosgrove at CCF or David at Toronto. If he want to be ready for anything, go to McCarthy, he is not quite as good at repair than those two, but nobody is.
For valves, reops, Maze, high risk, all in one operation, there is nobody better.
Good luck

 

[Marty]

I always recommend staying close to home. California has great heart surgeons particularly in LA, San Francisco, and San Diego. Look them over first.

 

[Adam 12-21-05]

Diamondfairy,

From what I've read, Dr. Paul Stelzer at Beth Israel in New York is one of the better surgeons on the East Coast.

Cheers,

Adam

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi all and diamondfairy,
dr. paul stelzer is our God!!! i did not mention him b/c he specializes in ross procedures, BUT he does do regular avr surgery. he is a wonderful man and brilliant surgeon. he is now at mt. sinai hospital and he was joey's surgeon almost 6 yrs. ago.

i would definitely meet with him. i've sent friends to him and he has thoroughly educated them (even those who did not end up using him).
seems like you have lots to choose from.
good luck and please let us know what you decide.
be well,
sylvia

 

[diamondfairy]

oxygen helping thank You.

oxygen helping thank You.

Hello everyone and thank you.
I talked to my dad this evening and he bought an oxygen making machine and used it last night, and it made a world of difference on how he felt. I don't know a lot about these machines, but it does not operate with a tank, it makes the oxygen. He woke up this morning feeling so much better. I will let you know how he does. Thank you for all your good ideas and well wishes you are all the best.
He will be calling to make a doctors appointment with steven colin new york on monday.

Happy Fathers day to all you fathers out there.

thank You.

 

[jds]

Don't aim for "the best" - rather for a good one in a good setting

Don't aim for "the best" - rather for a good one in a good setting

Hello -

I started off thinking I wanted "the best" surgeon also. After getting a few names, I realized this was futile. In any medicine-rich area - Cleveland, Boston, Rochester, MN, NYC, etc. - there will be a number of excellent surgeons. I'm in Boston and got the names of about 6 at Mass General Hospital and at Brigham and Women's. It was pretty clear that any one of them would be excellent. I looked at their credentials on the Internet and talked to local friends who are doctors and nurses.

On a good day, any one of them might be "the best" of the six and on a bad day they might be "the worst" of the six. But on any day, they would be excellent or else delay the surgery.

If you want specific names, try Gus Vlahakes at Mass General or Thomas MacGillivray at Mass General.

But it would be better to talk to medical people you know in a local well-regarded medical city or center. Where would they go if they needed the surgery themselves?

Good Luck -

John

 

[TomS]

I started by looking at the Cleveland Clinic, Houston Heart and Columbia Presbyterian. I ended with Len Girardi at Cornell, which is part of Columbia Pres. I called O. Wayne Isom there for a valve and aorta replacement. Isom is who Larry King, Letterman and Regis went to. Clinton also tried to get him but he wasn't available and sent him to Craig Smith at Columbia.
Isom told me about Girardi who is his staff who does 200 plus of these per year. He said that he is his valve guy. I met with Girardi and he has a 7/10 of 1% mortality rate for this (valve and root replacement) procedure. Mehmet Oz, and everyone else said 5% mortality. Cornell is on 68th street overlooking the East river. Great people. I had it done almost two years ago. Girardi can be reached at 212-746-5194. Good luck.
Tom

 

[Jay F]

Stephen Colvin

Stephen Colvin

Dr. Stephen Colvin at NYU Medical Center.
Pioneer of the Minimally invasive AVR. Considered one of the best in the US. You may want to also start by checking out St. Francis hospital in Roslyn as I did. Drop me a line for any questions. Good Luck, J