Surgeon or hospital?

[KristiinSD]

Is it more important to have a top cardiac surgeon or a top cardiac hospital?

I live in San Diego and it appears that none of the top 50 cardiac hospitals are here. I imagine that top cardiacthoracic surgeons are at top hospitals, but maybe not always. From my read, it appears that having a valve repair vs. replacement would make a world of difference in my life and one of the variables that impacts the outcome is surgeon skill, but I don't know....

Thanks in advance for your help.

Kristi
mvr and scheduled for a TEE on the 28th.

 

[BillCobit]

IMO - hospital & surgeon are both important. A surgical team works on you when you have operation, a nursing team cares for you afterward. And if there are any irregularities or complications afterward, a top hospital has the equipment and talent to quickly and properly address the matter. However, the ability to perform a MV repair vs. a replacement is clearly determined by the surgeon's skill.

If you don't have insurmountable obstacles (e.g., insurance network provider coverage) using a non-local hospital, you may want to consider that. I was fortunate enough to have the Cleveland Clinic in my provider network, so I chose to travel there for my surgery. The thought of travel for heart surgery was pretty intimidating when I first contemplated it, but after some careful planning, I found it wasn't so bad.

You certainly can have a succesful outcome at local/regional hospitals, but you tip the scales in your favour by using the specialists.

Good luck!

 

[Phyllis]

I concur with everything Bill said. We traveled 2 hours to Boston and it was well worth the trip and the extra expense for me to stay in a hotel while Dick was there. Many on this forum have traveled much further.

 

[Big-Chuck]

surgery

surgery

Well, I just my Mitral Valve repaired at the La Jolla VA hosp., My surgeons name was Dr. Madani and i would recommend him to anyone in the world.

 

[terryj]

We traveled 2 hours to Atlanta. My husband had his surgery at Emory which is one of the top heart hospitals and his surgeon was Dr. John Puskas. I would recommend Emory and Dr. Puskas to anyone. The care he got before and after surgery was excellent.

 

[coryp]

They are both important, but it is the surgeon who is doing the procedure. You have a better chance of a good outcome with a top surgeon and a mediocre hospital than with a top hospital and a mediocre surgeon. Try to get both, though. I also traveled away from home for my second OHS and don't think I would be here today if I hadn't. I was able to get both a top doctor and a top hospital by going to a major heart center. Despite what I just said about the surgeon being more important, it is nice if the rest of the hospital staff are experienced at caring for people after your type of surgery and if the hospital's policies and procedures are appropriate for your condition. Actually, I think top hospitals and top surgeons often come in a package. The top doctors don't want to operate at a crummy hospital, and the top hospitals are able to attract the better surgeons. I would say pick your surgeon first, and trust that he won't be practicing at a poor hospital. If you have a choice of hospitals, ask your surgeon where he recommends you go.

I agree with Rachel, the fact that you are in SD means you are very close to one of the best (CEDAR'S SINAI in Los Angeles). I just had my procedure there last week and only have great things to say. Let me know if you would like additional info