Am I being unfair?

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epstns

Premium User
Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2002
Messages
5,201
Location
Chicago area
I'm starting the process of choosing my valve surgeon. I have discussed it with my cardio and he gave me several recommendations. I did the research, and all of his recommendations are highly regarded valve surgeons.

I know I do not have time to interview all of the really good surgeons in Chicago, so I am trying to narrow it down to two. I have spoken with the office staff and nurses of three of his top picks.

Of the three, two staff groups gave the impression of being warm, communicative, easy to reach and very well informed/educated on the specifics of aortic stenosis. They seemed to appreciate the fact that I have learned all I can about the contition and treatment options. The third group was difficult to reach, not very cooperative, and told me some things that I know to be untrue (Do they REALLY usually recommend tissue valves for younger patients?).

My inclination is to exclude this third office and concentrate on the two that seem more comfortable to me. Am I being short-sighted in this approach?
 
Steve ... there is no fair or unfair here ... it is your surgery and you are the one who needs to be comfortable with your choice ... I view my cardiologist as an auto service adviser and the surgeon as my mechanic ... my surgeon and his office staff were not hard to reach but were much more clinical ... I was comfortable with this and still would be if I had to do it again ... I think it is very important to you overall experience that you are at ease with your caregivers ... make the choice that you feel is correct for you ... good luck...
 
No, you are not being short sighted. You have no obligation to get "3 bids". Your only obligation is to yourself and your family to make a good decision. Chicago is a big place with lots of top choices. You will select a great one.

Checkout the hospitals. Your surgeon-select may have prviledges at several hospitals. Go to his primary place with his top team.

I pass along my cardio's advice about the selection process...................... "Do your homework. Make the best decision for you and your family. DON'T LOOK BACK".

Here was my process.................... After some internet research, I reviewed my list with my cardio. His had his own recommendation that was the closest to my home, and where the cardio also has priviledges, (and since then I've known several people that went to him and are fine). He was impressed with my list and gave me some background. He never once tried to steer me (except for his advice above). So I started at the top of my list. After one interview I was done.

I know it's a stressful time and decision-making only adds to it. You'll do fine. You've been in here a long time and know that you will feel great on the other side. Best wishes!
 
I think it's important to be comfortable with your surgeon and his team. And I think accessibility is VERY important. (I changed my cardiologist weeks before surgery for just this reason.)

As for tissue valves for younger patients . . . I don't know how young you are,but yes, many younger patients choose tissue valves for various reasons. There is no right or wrong answer to the question of tissue or mechanical at any age.

Good luck!
 
epstns said:
I'm starting the process of choosing my valve surgeon. I have discussed it with my cardio and he gave me several recommendations. I did the research, and all of his recommendations are highly regarded valve surgeons.

I know I do not have time to interview all of the really good surgeons in Chicago, so I am trying to narrow it down to two. I have spoken with the office staff and nurses of three of his top picks.

Of the three, two staff groups gave the impression of being warm, communicative, easy to reach and very well informed/educated on the specifics of aortic stenosis. They seemed to appreciate the fact that I have learned all I can about the contition and treatment options. The third group was difficult to reach, not very cooperative, and told me some things that I know to be untrue (Do they REALLY usually recommend tissue valves for younger patients?).

My inclination is to exclude this third office and concentrate on the two that seem more comfortable to me. Am I being short-sighted in this approach?
Click to expand...

You are being very fair, as long as the records are close for the 3 surgeons /centers you are deciding between, and the 3rd isn't MUCH better, I probably wouldn't want to go into surgery with a team you already have trouble getting to answer your questions, when there are others equally good that comminicate much better.
I don't know which hospitals they are, but I wouldn't necessarily assume that telling you they usually recomend tissue valves for "younger" patients isn't true. (depending what "younger is 50s or 20s or some where inbetween) because many of the leading centers, like CCF, are recomending tissue valves for "younger" (40s and 50s) patients these days
 
I don't think you're being unfair at all. It's your surgery, your choice. However, I will just throw in the thought that one undiplomatic/uncooperative/ill-informed staffer in a big office can taint one's impression of the whole office. If you have word that the surgeon in question is a top-rated one, you might want still to have an appointment with him. That said, I will agree that staff support and competence are important. Not only was my surgeon great, but his assistants were all supportive and caring and accessible. In fact, nearly six years later I have stayed in touch with one of them when echo results have rung alarm bells (falsely so far, thank goodness).... All best to you Steve as you make your preparations.
 
Steve, your surgeon is part of a team and that includes his office staff. If they are unresponsive now why would you think that would change? One of the best things about my surgeon's support team was their readiness to find or provide information. That didn't change after surgery. This guy is going to be holding your heart in his hand; you need to be comfortable with him and his team.

Larry
 
I met with 3 surgeons in the Chicagoland area and I think either of them would be a good answer. One of them is very well known through these boards as he came over from Cleveland Clinic. It was a tough choice, but I went with who I was most comfortable with. Part of what went into my decision was trying to imagine what if I had some post op issues and tried to envision how responsive they would would be. Once I considered that, it kocked out one of my choices.
 
Steve,

You do not want anyone on the team who doesn't know what they're talking about. If there's one ignorant person on staff, you will wind up having to listen to their noxious prattle at some point (and you will not need that aggravation), or worse, depend on them. Strike #3 from the list. It's nature's way of making the choice easier.

Very best wishes,
 
Thanks for all the advice and support. From what I can find out, all three surgeons are highly regarded. None is at the hospital where my cardio practices -- he said he wouldn't send family members to his community hospital when there are top-notch teaching hospitals so close by. I have not mentioned names in this post so as to not influence anyone's response (although you can probably find them in my previous thread), but the hospitals involved are Northwestern and Loyola. From what I've found, both are great for heart surgery. U of Chicago is also a possibility, but that is much farther from home and I don't "know" anyone there.

I'm tending to think I will set up initial consultations with the two surgeons I was comfortable with, keeping the third as a possibility if these two don't pan out.
 
epstns said:
.........................I'm tending to think I will set up initial consultations with the two surgeons I was comfortable with, keeping the third as a possibility if these two don't pan out.
Click to expand...

Just a thought ....my wife was there when we met the three surgeons at out hospital and as it was she was comfortable with the surgeon I chose and also with his team including his office staff ....this all proved VERY fortunate over the next 5 months as she was my biggest advocate when I could not ...... be sure YOUR entire team is comfortable as well .....just a thought
 
Just a thought about teaching hospitals: if you're going for a world-class surgeon, you have the right (and the obligation to yourself) to ask if he will be doing the surgery himself or monitoring a student (not that "students" in this case are necessarily inexperienced - they are fully trained doctors who are entering a specialty). Right or wrong, I would feel differently about the two scenarios myself.

Very best wishes,
 
I feel as if I may have missed the announcement of this change!! Steve, you are talking to surgeons? you, our perpetual Mayor of the Waiting Room -- suddenly sashaying toward the Zipper Club Room?

Welcome!!!! :biggrin2::biggrin2:

So much of this is timing, gut instinct and just plain luck. Sure, we are educated well, here. And heaven knows -- you have been reading and digesting information from so many of us now. You are well prepared for this.

I did have a cardio referral since I'd chosen a cardio knowing I would want work done in her hospital (not, actually, the esteemed "heart" hospital in the area -- just one of the top 3 and the one I decided I wanted to be in). I don't have any complicating factors (that would certainly have steered me elsewhere) so I figured I just needed a guy who knew what he was doing, who I felt good about and who my husband got a good vibe from.

It's as if you've already filtered out so many potential choices there in Chicago that you really need to loosen that necktie of perfection from your brain and begin to feel this one out now. I think that is what I hear others saying, here, too.

It was very important for me to shake this guy's hand -- that hand that would (as Mentu said) be holding my heart. I wanted to see how comfortable he seemed with his own life, with his staff, with his own brilliance. My guy was so unassuming, professional, patient, thorough, thoughtful. These were the things that started to become important to me -- all other things seeming equal about surgeons in our area.

Sounds like you have a good plan -- not surprising! :wink2:

Best wishes.

Marguerite
 
Teaching Hospital?

Teaching Hospital?

Opinions vary and others are entitled to think what they want, but I wanted nothing to do with having AVR surgery at a "teaching hospital." I was perfectly happy to let students "practice" medicine on someone else. I wanted pros who weren't being distracted by students.

-Philip
 
Hi Steve,

I am not trying to be contrary, but why discount an opinion without fully hearing it.

That's why we have second (and in my case, third) opinions.

Interviewing a doctor is not promising him that he will do the surgery, but if everyone is saying "A", and someone else, highly respected (enough to get on your list) says "B", i would want to meet with the surgeon to understand why he says what he says...the more info I get, the more informed I am, and the better decision I will make.

Rule him out in your mind due to his staff attitude, sure, but I'd still meet with him to understand why he is recommending a tissue valve (whether this is your preference, or not). Then you can bring his opinions to the other surgeons and ask their take too.

Cheers

David
 
Thanks, everyone, for the support and input.

Bob - I have already started the "verification" process as to whether the "named" surgeon would do my surgery or supervise another. All have assured me that since I have been referred to them, then they themselves would do the surgery. I will again raise the question when I meet with each of them.

David - I have not really ruled any of the surgeons out of consideration. I do, however, plan to meet first with the two whose staffs were most informed and cooperative. If I get the "this is it" feeling with one of them, so be it. If not, on to meet the third. If these do not work out, I'm sure there are many more highly capable heart surgeons in this big city.

I won't be able to do much on this today as I'm out of the office at a conference all day. Tomorrow, though, I will contact my cardio and start the process by asking that copies of records and echo's, etc. be sent to the first two surgeons on the list. Once they receive the records, I will set up consultation appointments. Then it is "Off to the races!"
 
epstns said:
I'm tending to think I will set up initial consultations with the two surgeons I was comfortable with, keeping the third as a possibility if these two don't pan out.
Click to expand...

I think this is a good approach, Steve.

And, no, you are NOT being unfair!!!!



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