Sounds like Emory is the place to be. Thanks, all.
Surgery is coming- know any good surgeons in the Atlanta, GA region?
- Thread starter drivetopless
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DeWayne
Well-known member
best of luck drivetopless, if you get Dr. Chen say hey for me! He is cool.
K
kilmer
drivetopless, this is my first post. I had AVR Dec. 3 at Emory and my surgeon was Dr. John Puskas, associate chief, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine . You could not do better. You may also be interested to know he heads the Proact study on the On-X valve. http://www.onxlti.com/onxlti-hvm-clinical-trial.html
My cardio is also Dr. Sandler! I really, really like him, although I didn't start seeing him until after I received my mechanical valve. Dr. James Kauten did both of my surgeries and also my brother's MV repair surgery (both at Piedmont Hospital, very good experiences as far as hospital staff). He told his cardio that he would go anywhere for the repair, (he lives in Miami, I live in ATL) and he was referred to Dr. Kauten. Also, I know Dr. Murphy with the same practice (Peachtree Cardiovascular) is very good, he just did a repair on a family friend and it went very well. Do you live in Gwinnett?
Hi, Halley! Yes, I do live in Gwinnett. Sandler has an awesome accent, doesn't he? He is trying to get OHS into Gwinnett Medical Center--very political to do that. Thanks for the recommendations, it is much appreciated. Did you notice a difference after your replacement?
I live in Gwinnett, in Suwanee.. I am very picky about my dr.'s, so yeah, Dr. Sandler is pretty awesome! I get my INR checked at the Duluth office on a regular basis. I didn't know that about him trying to get OHS into Gwinnett Medical. I know when I was doing cardiac rehab there they were doing a lot of construction. They really do need to have OHS available there, this area is so big. I have noticed a big difference after my replacement, as my repair didn't work, and was already having symptoms before that. I do everything I did before and more, I actually feel like I am in the best shape I have ever been in after two OHS and turning 40 last fall!
needinfo
Active member
Im going to UAB April 7!!!!! Yippeee!
ALCapshaw2
Well-known member
What Surgeon will you be using at UAB?
Out of curiosity, what led you to choose UAB?
'AL Capshaw' (an OHS 'graduate' of UAB)
needinfo
Active member
Dr Kirklin. Choosing UAB......I guess a comfort level with the Dr after meeting with him and his explanation of the procedure, much investigation, gut feeling, closest facility to my home, patient referral (he did a co-worker OHS and valve surgery), Cardio Doc referral, I guess that would kind of sum it up. Since you are a OHS Grad, any comment?
ALCapshaw2
Well-known member
kschul
Well-known member
I noticed you said you can go to Chicago. Myself and a couple of other people on this site are seeing Dr. Malasirie at Northwestern. If you are going to only have your aortic valve replaced they can usually do that minimally invasively without the full sternial incision. He has also done an extra two year fellowship in aortic surgery at Stanford. It would be worthwhile to at least look into it. Good luck!
Kris
Kris
ALCapshaw2
Well-known member
Here is a copy of a post I wrote to Carole Pigg who was inquiring about Mechanical Valves and Alabama Surgeons.
For mechanical valves, I like the technological improvements that are available with the On-X Valve (see www.heartvalvechoice.com and www.onxvalves.com).
It's hard to find FREE information on Surgeons.
There are some FEE Based sites available.
Dr. Athanasuleas (in his 50's) (sp?) probably has the most experience with ON-X valves of the UAB surgeons.
He was recently recruited from another B'ham Hospital.
Dr. McGiffin has recently started using On-X as well.
Dr. McGiffin (in his 50's) is the #2 guy on the Heart Transplant Team and is known to have taken on many High Risk patients, including several of our members (do a VR.com Search to find their posts). He is very highly regarded for his surgical skills, willingness to listen to his patients and answer their questions, and his gentlemanly demeanor. His office telephone number is 205-975-2526 and his staff are very cordial and helpful.
Dr. James Kirklin (in his 60's) is the Head of the Heart Transplant Team (Edit - and a skilled surgeon). He is the son of Dr. John Kirklin -deceased- who was recruited from the Mayo Clinic to begin the Heart Surgery program at UAB and for whom the Kirklin Clinic is named. (Edit Add - He tends to resist communication with patients after surgery and is noted for telling all patients to come to the Kirklin Clinic at Noon, then he will prioratize their appointments. You can probably count on waiting all afternoon for a post-op consultation.)
Dr. Pajaro (in his 40's) was recruited from a Florida Hospital to fill the gap left by the retirement of Dr. Pacifico who was the #1 guy at UAB for many years. I *think* Dr. Pacifico came to UAB under Dr. James Kirklin. During his reign, UAB reached #10 on the U.S. News and World Report ranking of Heart Hospitals. According to a Valve Manufacturer's Sales Representative who knew Dr. Pajaro in Florida, he was highly regarded at that hospital. I expect he was a good choice for UAB to provide continuity of care as the older surgeons eventually retire (although some have been known to continue into their 70's and beyond)
As I said before, I suspect these guys are the most prolific Heart Valve Surgeons in the state of Alabama. You would need to ask their offices if / who does minimally invasive surgery.
Do a Google Search for Dr. Petracek at Vanderbilt to get the link to his website. He has a video of one of this minimally invasive surgeries on that site. He is known to be a proponent of the St. Jude valves.
'AL Capshaw'
WOW! I go away for a couple of weeks and come back to all of this great info. Thanks, guys!
6 for Sarah
Active member
Dr. McGiffin at UAB did my aortic valve replacement and aneurysm repair. I higly recommend him. As was mentioned by Al, he is very easy to communicate with. He will respond within a day to phone calls and email messages. I had many questions while waiting for my valve. I chose a human valve and had about a 4-5 month wait until a variety of sizes were available. He always responded timely and explained anything I had a question about fully and without talking down to me.
It's time. I'm going to talk to Dr. Wolfe and Dr. Chen at a minimum for a consult. I don't have any aorta issues, thank goodness. Just the valve needs fixin' so minimally invasive might be an option.
cp172
Well-known member
I have a friend who is a surgeon and he thinks the world of the staff at Emory and St Joseph's. Piedmont is also a great hospital for heart issues. Best of luck to you. I had no idea we had so many Georgians on the board.
If you have an HMO plan it may not be possible to have your surgery in another city, but, of course, check with your plan; however, with a PPO, you can go out-of-network and as long as your ins carrier is in that state, it should be fine, though you may have a higher deductible and/or higher out-of-pocket expenses if you go out-of-network; again, check with your plan.
