mitral valve repair

[stacy n]

Hello,
My name is Stacy, and I am new to this forum. My husband is in need of MV repair (hopefully) surgery, and I am trying to research the best surgeon/hospitals to do this.

I am located in Florida. However, we are willing to go wherever the best is.

Can anyone suggest how I find the best surgeon for MV repair?

So far I have found;
Donald D. Glower @ Duke UMC
Stephen B. Colvin @ NYUMC
Dr. Argenziano @ NY Pres/Columbia
Mehmet Oz @ NY Pres/Columbia
Joseph Lamelas @ Kendal RMC (Miami, Fl)

My current cardiologist referred us to a local surgeon (Dr. Wahl) at Bayonet Point MC in Hudson, Florida. However, he said that the open heart surgery is how he does this surgery.

We would like to find the best at the minimally invasive approach.

Any assistance is truly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Karlynn]

Welcome Stacy - glad you could join us!

I've heard of most of the dr's on your list. (Dr. Oz because of Oprah! ) If they are pretty sure they can do a repair - then you want a surgeon who is known for their repairs. The first one that comes to mind is Dr. Cosgrove at Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic is pretty much the "Valhalla" of valve repair/replacement and many of our members have gone there.

How old is your husband and how long has he known about his mitral valve disease?

 

[BillCobit]

Cleveland!

Cleveland!

Hi Stacy

Cleveland Clinic is generally regarded as top hospital for valve surgery.

http://www.clevelandclinic.org/hear...e1.asp?firstCat=59&secondCat=440&thirdCat=443

I had my surgery there - wanted minimally invasive, but was not a candidate for it due to condition of my valve. Fine w/ me, as I wanted the best possible outcome and cared little about post-surg discomfort & chest scar.

Best of luck in your research. PM me if you would like specifics of my experience w/ Cleveland.

Cheers

 

[Marty]

Hi Stacy

Cleveland Clinic is generally regarded as top hospital for valve surgery.

http://www.clevelandclinic.org/hear...e1.asp?firstCat=59&secondCat=440&thirdCat=443

I had my surgery there - wanted minimally invasive, but was not a candidate for it due to condition of my valve. Fine w/ me, as I wanted the best possible outcome and cared little about post-surg discomfort & chest scar.

Best of luck in your research. PM me if you would like specifics of my experience w/ Cleveland.

Cheers

I agree that no place is better, at least in the USA, than Cleveland.Also there are many other places just as good. I also believe there are advantages to staying close to home. I have two friends for instance who had excellent repairs at our local hospital. I was too far gone and needed a replacement. Its the surgeons judgement that makes this decision. In your area I would check out Tampa-St.Pete. I know ther are great surgeons and medical centers in Miami, Jacksonville or Gainesville. Contact your top cardiologist and ask where he/she would go in Florida for state-of-the-art mitral valve surgery.

 

[stacy n]

mitral valve repair

Thanks for responding
My husband is 50 years old, and in otherwise excellent health. He has had MVP for over 10 years. He contracted endocarditis 10 years ago, and has done well since. His only symptoms are palpitations. But his echo results and other test results tell us it is time to do the surgery. As you know, determining WHEN to have the surgery is difficult. Do you wait until you have more symptoms? Or do it while you are fairly healthy, and able to recover? We are choosing to do it now (with our cardiologists advice). My husband is a golf professional (teaches golf and makes clubs), and the open heart surgery is something we want to avoid if possible. Of course, we want the best doctor we can find...

I saw Dr. Oz on Oprah too
I will definitely check out Cleveland Clinic, and Dr. Cosgrove.

I suppose once we find a surgeon, we need to check if they accept our insurance...and weigh those options.

Thank you all for responses. We appreciate any guidance you can offer.

Regards,
Stacy

 

[Georgia]

Cardiologists tend to be conservative about surgery; so if your hubby's cardio thinks it's time to go it's certainly time to find a surgeon. Usually it's the cardio holding things up and the surgeons urging surgery.

You want surgery before your husband's heart is damaged. Period.

Best of luck. Hope all goes well in your search.

 

[Christina L]

I had my mitral valve repair done

I had my mitral valve repair done

by Dr. Cosgrove. We live in Colorado, so it was quite a plane trip to and from Cleveland - especially the trip home - that was rough.

Anyway, my cardiologist referred me to Dr. Cosgrove but it was not only Dr. Cosgrove that my cardio recommended, it was the ENTIRE Cleveland Clinic facility. My cardio told me that you want to go to a facility that has seen everything and NOTHING surprises them. It is postop care that is vitally important also, the nurses and cardios that will be caring for you. Cleveland runs like a well-oiled machine.

That said, however, the surgeon is your #1 concern - and Dr. Cosgrove has also seen everything - he has done hundreds of mitral valve repairs in his career and is considered one of the best mitral valve surgeons in the world.

Good luck with your decision. I know you will make the right decision for you.

Christina L

 

[BillCobit]

Thanks for responding
Do you wait until you have more symptoms? Or do it while you are fairly healthy, and able to recover?

Many times mitral valve surgery is indicated before symptoms develop. See this pub:

http://www.acc.org/clinical/guidelines/valvular/

for discussion of timing and indications for surgery.

 

[Marty]

Thanks for responding
My husband is 50 years old, and in otherwise excellent health. He has had MVP for over 10 years. He contracted endocarditis 10 years ago, and has done well since. His only symptoms are palpitations. But his echo results and other test results tell us it is time to do the surgery. As you know, determining WHEN to have the surgery is difficult. Do you wait until you have more symptoms? Or do it while you are fairly healthy, and able to recover? We are choosing to do it now (with our cardiologists advice). My husband is a golf professional (teaches golf and makes clubs), and the open heart surgery is something we want to avoid if possible. Of course, we want the best doctor we can find...

I saw Dr. Oz on Oprah too
I will definitely check out Cleveland Clinic, and Dr. Cosgrove.

I suppose once we find a surgeon, we need to check if they accept our insurance...and weigh those options.

Thank you all for responses. We appreciate any guidance you can offer.

Regards,
Stacy

I am an ardent golfer and still play twice a week when the weather permits. My pro had OHS about two years before I did and he helped me in my golf rehab. Chipping and putting two weeks post op. Even though my sternum was split and wired together I was OK with the full turn at ten weeks. I now walk with light bag 7 clubs a very hilly course. ( I'm 79). I substitute the walking for the treadmill in the fitness center. Your husband will do well even if they have to do the surgery the old fashioned way.

 

[DLH]

I live in Tallahassee and just had a mitral valve repair 11/18/2005 at Shands by Dr. Klodell. He did a great job and had very good bedside manners. Mine was done at Shands AGH not the main Shands, which I was told was the better option because you get the same doctors at a smaller hospital and do not have all of the students or interns in the OR like at the main Shands. A word of warning though, Dr. Klodell is young and looks even younger. However, once you meet him and talk to him I think you will be impressed. He performed a mini-sternotomy on me 4 inch scar and 2 small drain tube scars. If you look back at my other posts you will see that so far everything has been doing better than I expected as I am a very active person and ride bikes alot.

 

[stacy n]

mitral valve repair

Thank you all for your posts It is very comforting to talk to people who have gone through, or are going through the same thing we are.

I have contacted several surgeons, and amazingly to me, I had two calls back from the doctors themselves! (Where I live, trying to get to speak to a doctor on the phone, is like trying to get through to the Pope!).

Dr. Donald Glower from Duke UMC and Dr. Michael Argenziano called us. They both seem qualified, and have good experience, and excellent records. If anyone has experience with either of these surgeons, I would love to hear back.

I have also contacted (just today) a Dr. James Wolfe, in Atlanta. If anyone knows of him, please let me know.

I will be trying to reach Dr. Cosgrove in Cleveland today as well

Thank you all again for your input! Have a great day!

Stacy

 

[Christian]

Dr. Cosgrove is nearly impossible to speak with. You'll have to work through his staff instead.

If you're looking for that "special personal touch," Cosgrove isn't your guy. But he essentially invented minimally invasive mitral valve repairs and has performed over 11,000 surgeries. We went with him and realized our best-case-scenario in all respects. If my own valve went bad, I'd choose him in a heartbeat. Pun intended.

 

[Barbara Stewart]

Surgeons

Surgeons

I had my MV Replaced a second time 4 weeks ago. The first surgery I had did not hold, (it was just this past May) so that made two in less than a year. The first one I had was here in San Antonio where I live, but after my first horrible experience I wanted to go someplace else.
I chose to go to the Texas Heart Institute in Houston for my second surgery and the whole operation worked like a well oiled machine. My surgeon was Dr. Frazier and he did call me himself initially and he has a wonderful nurse secretary who fills in.
The way it was explained to me was that a center had a team already in place. The surgeons are not in private practice as was my first surgeon, plus it is a teaching hospital. Houston was in driving distance for us but it has proved a problem in my post op. I am still having a problem with one of my incisions but I went to see my PCP today and think I'm in good hands at this point.
Whatever you choose to do a minimally invasive procedure may not be appropriate, but I'm sure any of your surgeons will know what to do.
Good luck and keep us up to date as to your decision and progress.
Barbara

 

[MikeHeim]

With whatever surgeon you use, make sure they are a staunch believer in repairs. My cardiologist sent me to see Dr. Laks at UCLA specifically because of his absolute belief in repair. Apparently some surgeons are "repair first" in theory, but will switch to replacement very quickly during surgery if they find the valve in worse condition than they anticipated. I am extremely glad that I was able to have a surgeon that was willing to do a very difficult (which mine unexpectedly turned out to be) repair instead of taking the somewhat easier road. That said, it seems like everyone on this list is convinced that their surgeon is the best on planet Earth. Including me.

One semi-related question for anyone: What happens if a surgeon begins a minimally invasive repair, and then realizes the valve is too damaged to repair? Do they then immediately begin a conventional replacement through the sternum, or do they come back and do another surgery at a later date? Just curious.

 

[BillCobit]

That said, it seems like everyone on this list is convinced that their surgeon is the best on planet Earth.

LOL! Ain't that the truth? Sounds like you had a good one working on you, Mike. Glad to hear your surgeon's talent & ego would not allow you to leave the OR without that repair (vs. replace) job.

When I was looking for surgeon, I struggled with all of the recommendations for "top notch" surgeons I got from people and local doctors. Wasn't ANYONE out there a hack? And if Fred Shirtrag, MD working out of St. Joe Shmo community hospital was so great, why was he practicing at St. Joe Shmo community?? And why were his patients, who loved him so, on a ton of meds for rhythm problems? It might not have been Fred's manhandling of the heart during surgery, but I had to wonder.

For me, Cleveland was the only relatively nearby place that really seemed to have an established track record. They had a reputation, they published their (impressive) stats on procedures and outcomes, had valve specialists that were actively engaged in research and had articles widely published in cardiology and thoracic surgery journals, etc. So I just went to their web site and picked a surgeon "off the rack."

I also had a very complicated repair, and wonder if I would have ended up with a replacement if I had gone someplace else.

You can get a really good or a really bad result at any hospital and with any surgeon. In my mind, though, it makes sense to tip the odds by going to the best place available to you.

Just my $0.02

 

[jcat2006]

Dr. Colvin

Dr. Colvin

Dr. Colvin has operated on my husband twice, once in '95 and again on 1/17/06. Although it was not to repair/replace a mitral valve, it was to repair several congenital heart defects, an aortic valve replacement and to have his aortic root replaced...I would recomend Dr.Colvin he is a great surgeon...I would not expect to be treated like royalty by him, but he will fix your husband's heart....On Thursday we waited until 9pm (our appointmnet was at 4pm) to see him for my husband's follow-up appointment. He was delayed b/c he was in surgery and then was called back again..I guess this is just the way things go...I felt very bad for some of the other patients who were there waiting who had to travel long distances after the appointment, which was well after 9:30pm..so if you come up give yourselves a few days here just in case.... Hope this helps and good luck!

Jen

 

[clouddancer22]

One semi-related question for anyone: What happens if a surgeon begins a minimally invasive repair, and then realizes the valve is too damaged to repair? Do they then immediately begin a conventional replacement through the sternum, or do they come back and do another surgery at a later date? Just curious.
__________________
Mike, that is exactly what I asked this week during my daughter's valvioplasty, what if??? He assured me that they keep a backup of valves, tissue and mechanical, and a team on hand to step in if necessary. We were told we might need to replace the valve that day, or the next, and so I worried and wanted to know the worst case scenario.

 

[Georgia]

They'd proceed with a replacement at that time. My mitral valve was repaired and the repair didn't take; they went back and replaced. If the repair doesn't work you don't have a functioning valve at all.

They also do replacements with minimally invasive techniques; so I presume they'd just continue.

Repairs can also fail shortly afterward, altho that's pretty rare.