Are AVR surgeons equally capable of doing Mitral surgery?

[sylviayasgur]

hi,
my dad had avr and double bp surgery almost 7 years ago. he has a st. jude's valve and takes coumadin, both of which he is happy with.

this past week, he went for an echo and his cardio told him that his mitral valve is leaking quite a bit and that he will be needing surgery on it in the next 6 months.

my dad, 73, is a very stubborn man.
joey and i have urged him to consult with other cardios/ surgeons before diving into this surgery, but he is convinced that the surgeon _ dr. paul damus, at st. francis hospital on long island (great heart hospital)_ who did his avr and bypass surgery 7 years ago can do this mitral valve surgery as well as any other surgeon.
problem is, i'm sure he's capable, but do surgeons who specialize in avr automatically know how to do mitrals as well or are there specific "mitral valve " specialist surgeons?

if so, if any of you know any at st. francis (where i know he'd like to go, close to home), please let me know.
i would love for him to consult with dr. colvin in nyc, but he is protesting.

thanks for any help you can offer.
-sylvia

 

[Georgia]

Hi! Sorry about your dad needing more surgery.

I guess my question is whether your dad's surgeon was an avr specialist? My humble opinion is that, other than at places such as CC, good cardiothoracic surgeons who do a lot of valves do all the valves. After all, many times a second valve has to be done when the primary valve is replaced (for instance, my mitral was replaced and tricuspid repaired).

There's a lot to be said for a patient's trust and confidence in his surgeon; your dad had a good result from this surgeon several years ago; the surgeon has a good reputation and works at a good cardiac hospital. Seems to me that it would keep the peace considerably if you just support his choice. After all, he's 73 and compos mentis - seems that arguing with him is going to cause a whole lot of stress in the family.

Just my take; I had a pretty determined (read stubborn) mother; and found these kind of arguments caused more trouble than they were worth!

Hope everything else is going well - hi to Joey!

 

[RCB]

A difficult question

A difficult question

I couldn't really offer an answer to this question when I read this an hour ago, because it depends on so
many things. It can be argued both ways depending on the situation, so I don't think you will have a better answer than the one Georgia gave you.
There is much wisdom is her answer. Your father's peace of mind is very
important. The only reason to go against his decision is if you think your father is incompetent. Good luck to you both!

 

[Janea]

My Uncle is a heart surgeon and chief of surgery at a reputable hospital in the Chicago area. He said that AVR and MVP surgery are two completely different animals. He couldn't stress to me enough how important it was to get a surgeon who has performed MVP many, many times. My surgeon said that MVP surgery can be much trickier than working on the aortic valve because there are many variables one has to deal with such as the effect of pressure changes in between the hearts chambers etc....

--Janea

 

[Karlynn]

My surgeon did both types and had done many of each. You would want to ask the doctor how many MVR's he's done.

 

[sylviayasgur]

thank you for your speedy replies!

thank you for your speedy replies!

hi all,
thanks so much for the feedback. i can totally understand why he feels comfortable with his surgeon. i'm used to his "determined" ways as he is a very predictable and consistent man (a good thing!).

i think i will suggest he speak with his surgeon and maybe bring up a few of those issues. my brother was the one who pointed out to me that most surgeons really "grow" with the times as they change and modernize. his concern was that this surgeon has too.

my mom is the one who's the most nervous and i can't blame her, especially after his episode with hernia surgery almost 2 years ago when he almost bled to death because the general surgeon was unfamiliar with coumadin and bridging, etc.

i'll be glad when this is behind us all and he's playing his golf again in dec. when we all go away together (all kids, grandkids in one house for 2 weeks! my parents, i think, live for that).

again, thanks so much for all your input... i feel more equipped to suggest questions and issues to him.

be well, sylvia
p.s. georgia, joey sends regards back!

 

[sue943]

My surgeon obviously does both, he replaced one of each for me.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

My recommendation:

Have you dad schedule an appointment with his preferred surgeon and LET HIM (the surgeon) assess the situation and his capability in that area. YOU may want to go along, assuming your dad will be comfortable with that. Otherwise, perhaps you could meet with the surgeon AFTER he assesses your dad.

'AL Capshaw'