Questions to Ask the Surgeon?

[tclemmer]

Hello,

My name is Tom and I am here on behalf of my dad. He is 76 with several health issues:
- some lung issues (mild COPD, no Oxygen).
- takes meds for atrial fib
For the past year he has been weak and after many,many test they are talking valve replacement. Aortic and Mytral. We have an appt to see a Doctor in Dallas this Monday and I will be there with my dad.

What type of questions should I be prepared to ask?

I appreciate your time.

Tom

 

[Phyllis]

Welcome, Tom. You've come to a great place for information and hopefully a lot of your questions will be answered here. Here is a good thread with a list of questions to ask the surgeon: http://valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17988&highlight=questions+surgeon

When it comes time to choose a valve, you will want to check out the thread on valve choice.

Let us know if there is any other way we can help. Best wishes to you and your Dad.

 

[tclemmer]

Questions

Questions

Thanks, That certainly is good information.

Tom

 

[Susan BAV]

Hi Tom -

Welcome to the site! Feel free to ask all of the questions you like. Hope all goes well for you dad. Post again and take care.

 

[Der Biermeister]

Tom - you'll want to discuss the risk element, especially at his age. The surgeon will probably have better news in this regard than you'd first think.

Also, you'll need to know exactly what to expect for the first week or so when he comes home. Ask the surgeon about expected strength, etc. Again, at his age, he made need a bit more care than normal.

 

[davidfortune]

Tom,

Ask his recommendation on valve type and why

Ask how many he has done

Ask about his success/complication/morbidity/mortality rates in someone your father's age and condition

Ask about special precautions/techniques due to age/condition

Ask what he would do if he were your dad and why

Ask what he would do if it were his dad and why

Ask him what else you should be asking

Ask him who he would have do the surgery besides him and why

Ask about recovery expectations

 

[jbrown413]

hi david -- great to see you...

hi david -- great to see you...

i can see from your expert answer to this question that you are cognitively good as new. -- joe brown

 

[tclemmer]

Thanks

Thanks

All the responses are great. I am making notes as they come in. I have been reading through the wealth of information on this site.

From what I have heard from other people about the doctor we are going to, he is suppose to be one of the best. His name is Dr. Mack(In Dallas). His bio reads well but I am sure they all do.

My dad was really against this when they first started talking about it last fall but he seems to have warmed up to it. Probably just tired of being tired and out of breath.

I want to thank everyone for the info and I will let you know how it went.

Tom

 

[MaryC]

Hi Tom,
I am in the DFW area. I have heard good things about Dr Mack. My cardiologist is in Bedford and Dr Mack is one of the surgeons he mentioned to me when he decided it was time for me to have surgery. Good luck with your Dad's surgery....you are smart getting all of your questions together in advance. I kept a notebook with me once I knew I was having surgery and as I thought of questions, I wrote them down.