Dr Pettersson at Cleveland Clinic

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A

AndyCap

Active member
Joined
Oct 22, 2010
Messages
43
Location
NJ
Hi all...

I've been reading thru some of your posts and find them all so very encouraging. None of your (or your family members) heart repairs are easy roads... but having this amazing support group must make things so much easier.

Now, on to my dad.... he is in desperate need of his 3rd open heart surgery. This time to replace moth the mitral and aortic valves as well as the aortic root. We have met with multiple surgeons thruout NY, NJ and CT. And now we are awaiting word from Dr Pettersson. Cleveland chose him to take on my dad's case. He was not one of the surgeons that I had picked out in my own head... but does seem like a good choice as well. Wondering if any has any feedback/input.

In case you were wondering, I was thinking of Mihaljevic, Gillinov, Svennson, and Rosselli.

Thanks in advance.
 
Did you check Dr. Pettersson's profile on the CC website?

I believe one of his 'areas of interest' is re-do's which is probably why CC suggested him.
Dr. Pettersson is one of the Highest Regarded Heart Surgeons in the World from what I read/hear.

Dr. Svensson is the head of the Connective Tissue Disorder Department and deals with a lot of aortic aneurysm's. I'm thinking Dr. Roselli is also experienced in that area (but check to be sure).

Our member RobThatsMe just had an aortic valve re-replacement and aorta replacement.
Dr. Pettersson did the AVR while Dr. Roselli attended to his aorta. It was a LONG Surgery but he seems to be coming along (I confess I haven't read his latest updates - see threads starting with his screen name).

Dr. Gillinov and Mihaljavic are also frequently mentioned in our Forums.
Do an Advanced Search on VR to find posts about any/all of these surgeons.
They ALL seem to be held in high regard.

'AL Capshaw'
 
Hi,

I recently had a complex, redo valve replacement surgery. My old mech aortic valve was replaced, and they also found an aneurysm that had to be dealt with.
Dr. Petterrson and Dr. Roselli were my surgeons. Both are highly regarded in their fields. Dr. Petterrson specializes in complex, complicated heart valve "redo" surgeries. Dr. Roselli specializes in Aneurysms, and Dissections. In my case, I had both my original ascending aortic dissection and a new aneurysm that they had to deal with while performing my surgery. I was in surgery with them for 13.5 hours, and then again a few days later for 3 more hours to complete the procedure.

I interviewed a few surgeons prior to my surgery, and felt totally comfortable with both, my decession to go to the Cleveland Clinic, and in the surgeons that were going to perform the surgery. They were great!

Have you looked up their profiles? If not, here are their credentials from Cleveland Clinic. PLease note their specialties and positions.

Dr. Petterrson
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/staff_directory/staff_display.aspx?doctorid=3006

Dr. Roselli
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/staff_directory/staff_display.aspx?doctorid=6515

Each person has to make their own choice, but for my, and my complex case, I feel extremely good with the choices I made.

Good luck with your search, and good health,

Rob

btw... if you want to read my thread of my whole ordeal that occcurred on Sept 16th, and the post-op days after here is the thread tpo my Blog site.
https://sites.google.com/site/robthatsmecristid/bobs-updates-2
 
Thanks so much for your feedback. You both were actually members that I have been reading thru and watching on this forum while I was awaiting membership approval.

I have definitely been doing lots of research (you should see the bags under my eyes!!! lol) But, what is on paper, and what is real is not always the same... I'm sure you all understand that. We were extremely disappointed by a surgeon who was consider "the authority figure" of anuerysms... and the heart in general. But when we went to see him, after he took everyone else in the waiting room before us, and made us wait 4 hours... he decided to tell my poor father that he was going to die! Not even a glimmer of hope did he have for my father.
So, I have turned to this forum to get some patient feedback/input.

Rob... you truly are a trooper!!! 13.5 hours, wow!!! I just got off the phone with my dad and you have given him that glimmer of hope that he desperately needed!
Tell me, how did you manage to get both surgeons to work on you? Was that something that they came up with.... or did you request that? We have chosen Cleveland for exactly that reason... to get a team to care for my dad. My dad's case is definitely not an easy one... and we're pretty positive that once he's opened up its going to prove to be even more difficult.

Stay strong and healthy!
Thanks again.
 
Hi Andrea,

Prior to me interviewing any surgeons, I had to have 3 key tests done, so that they could properly evaluate me. These were a TEE, CATH, and some CT's. Once these were complete, I forwarded a copy of them to Dr. Pettersson, at the Cleveland Clinic. After his review, I was informed that he was interested in my case.
The Cleveland Clinic also requires a full battery of tests, done on their equipment, which is some cases may be more advanced than some local hospitals.

I went up to the Clinic and had all the tests done, and also met with Dr. Pettersson at the end of the day. He had all the results of my tests that day, as the CCF is a "paperless" hospital for the most part. He reviewed the data, and informed me that he found somthing that we may also want to address, else I most likely would end up with another open heart surgery in the near future. He wanted to consult with one of his collegues, Dr. Roselli, whom he also wanted on his team, about this concern as it did fall within his specialty. After they met, they agreed on the course of action required. Dr. Pettersson repaired my valve, pannus, and graft for my dissection, and Dr. Roselli repaired the "aneurysm" that originally concerned Dr. Pettersson. He installed the stent and elephant trunk to repair my aorta, and fix the aneurysm. I should also point out that the aneurysm was totally missed by my local doctor, and the local surgeon. the aneurysm at my aortic arch was discovered by the team at the Cleveland Clinic. It it was not repaired, they said the wall was real thin, and could have ruptured at any time, and at best, I would be in for another open heart surgery within 2-3 years. They said I surely didn't want that. So, in a nutshell... that explains how I ended up with 2 surgeons.

Hope this helps,
All the best,
Rob
 
Hi, I can't offer any personal advice on CCF, but wanted to let you know I understand how hard it can be to have a famlily member needing higher risk/multiple heart surgeries. My 22 year old son has had 5 OHS plus other complications and surgeries, and My Mom had a couple higher risk surgeries, so I know the family has to really do their homework to make sure you get a team that has alot of experience in taking care of whatever your loved one needs done. I have always heard very good things about Dr.Pettersson, and all the CCF surgeons you mentioned, but my son needs to go to the centers that have more experience in congenital heart patients, so I never dealt with CCF.
I'm sorry the surgeon you met with gave your father no hope, but try to look at it as a Blessing, that he admitted he couldn't help, instead of operating even tho he wasn't the best person for the job. So now your father will go to the people with the most experience and have the best chance of having a good outcome.
What reasons did this surgeon give for not being able to help him? Does he have other medical problems beside his heart?
I'm a little confused, It looks like your Dad had his aortic valve replaced a couple months ago, is the problem they didn't see/or take care of his root at the time, or did the root get much worse since his surgery? I was also wonderring why they didn't replace or repair his mitral valve then?
Also What was the aortic valve plug he had in the summer?
Your entire family is in my prayers.
 
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Dr. Pettersson is the man! It is my understanding (my words on this) that my redo was a walk in the park for him. He is known for his skills in doing complex work. He is a master and has great bedside manner. He listened to my needs and gave great in-depth advice.

My advice, trust your CCF Cardio. Lean on them for advice. They will direct you to the best surgeon for you particular needs.
 
Andrea,
I too was assigned to Dr. Petterrson and I agree with the others. Petterrson is an exceptional surgeon. He spent a great deal of his time with me discussing my case and my options. He is very confident but not arrogant and his calm demeanor is reassuring. But he is a very focused and busy man, so after surgery you will only see him while he is making rounds at the ICU. After surgery, get to know the surgical team member from his staff that is assigned to your dad's case. That person will check in with your dad daily in the Step Down Unit and is an important source of information and comfort. All of his surgical staff were excellent.
Best,
John
 
cleveland clinic

cleveland clinic

My father was discharged today from the clinic following an aortic valve replacement along with repairs to the mitral and tricuspid valves. His surgeon is Dr. Mihaljevic and we are most pleased with the results. My father is 79 years of age and was extremely sick at the time of the surgery. Dr Mihaljevic knew he had limited time to operate and kept my father sedated for 3 days understanding the need to slowly bring him back from the surgery. He took his time whenever he spoke to my father and family members. We had complete confidence in him and I expect that is true of all of the heart surgeons at this clinic. Best wishes to you and your Dad, please let him know there will be the best of all possible outcomes.
 
Lyn,
Where do I begin??? Let's just start by saying that each procedure my dad has had has not been without complications or mishaps. And my poor dad is the one suffering from it all.

My dad's OHS in february was quite complicated as there was a big mess to clean up after his original anuerysm grafting back in 2003. In '03 they used bioglue to close things up. But apparently it never fully healed/closed up and his aorta was leaking. This leak developed into a very large pseudoanuerysm that turned my dad's heart upside down. Also, the wires that were used to close my dad's ribs popped in the middle of the night a few weeks after surgery. My dad's cardiologist was aware of the leak. So in Feb he did an angiogram in preparation for my dad to go in for a 2nd OH for an AVR. Well, upon doing the angiogram he got very scared at the looks of things (leak, thin walls, etc) and called for an emergency surgery and my dad was on the table the next morning. Apparently there was a great deal of scar tissue and glue that the surgeon had to clean up. He performed the AVR and said that it was too difficult for him to replace the mitral valve... but that it would need to be either repaired or replaced in the future. However he placed an Alfieri stitch in hopes to lessen the leak.

While my father did recover... he was never able to fully bounce back. Apparently nothing worked as well as anyone had anticipated. The MV continues to leak. And now there is a PVL from the AV. That's when we went to NY during the summer to have an occluder placed in the aorta via the groin (tried to avoid another OHS). But, that didn't work either. While it did lessen the PVL... apparently it made his blood hemolyze even more.

And that's why we are now at the mercy of CC and Dr Pettersson. However, we just received word that he has been given a large caseload (25 new patients) and is booking surgeries out to the end of Dec. I truly dont know how my dad will manage that long. He goes for weekly procrit and/or iron shots with the occassional blood transfusion! Lets just pray that Dr Pettersson will see the urgency to put us in ASAP.

Hope I've explained things. There never seems to be an easy answer with my dad and all that he's been thru.

Have a great night. And thank you again for all of your well wishes and feedback.
 
Carolyn...

So happy to hear from you. I've been watching your posts and hoping to hear good news about your dad. That's such wonderful news! Happy to hear that dad is on his way home. I think they will need to do the same to my dad with regards to letting him slowly come to. He is a fighter of the meds and has been known to extubate himself... though he always feels bad about it afterwards ;-)

Many prayers for your dad's speedy recovery to good health.
 
AndyCap said:
Lyn,
Where do I begin??? Let's just start by saying that each procedure my dad has had has not been without complications or mishaps. And my poor dad is the one suffering from it all.

My dad's OHS in february was quite complicated as there was a big mess to clean up after his original anuerysm grafting back in 2003. In '03 they used bioglue to close things up. But apparently it never fully healed/closed up and his aorta was leaking. This leak developed into a very large pseudoanuerysm that turned my dad's heart upside down. Also, the wires that were used to close my dad's ribs popped in the middle of the night a few weeks after surgery. My dad's cardiologist was aware of the leak. So in Feb he did an angiogram in preparation for my dad to go in for a 2nd OH for an AVR. Well, upon doing the angiogram he got very scared at the looks of things (leak, thin walls, etc) and called for an emergency surgery and my dad was on the table the next morning. Apparently there was a great deal of scar tissue and glue that the surgeon had to clean up. He performed the AVR and said that it was too difficult for him to replace the mitral valve... but that it would need to be either repaired or replaced in the future. However he placed an Alfieri stitch in hopes to lessen the leak.

While my father did recover... he was never able to fully bounce back. Apparently nothing worked as well as anyone had anticipated. The MV continues to leak. And now there is a PVL from the AV. That's when we went to NY during the summer to have an occluder placed in the aorta via the groin (tried to avoid another OHS). But, that didn't work either. While it did lessen the PVL... apparently it made his blood hemolyze even more.

And that's why we are now at the mercy of CC and Dr Pettersson. However, we just received word that he has been given a large caseload (25 new patients) and is booking surgeries out to the end of Dec. I truly dont know how my dad will manage that long. He goes for weekly procrit and/or iron shots with the occassional blood transfusion! Lets just pray that Dr Pettersson will see the urgency to put us in ASAP.

Hope I've explained things. There never seems to be an easy answer with my dad and all that he's been thru.

Have a great night. And thank you again for all of your well wishes and feedback.
Click to expand...

Poor guy, sure has been thru the ringer. I can only imagine how you guys must feel seeing him go thru so much and still needing more surgery. Has everything Dr. Pettersson needs to see (records, CDs of his recent tests ect) been sent already? One good thing is they can always move things around to get someone who is an emergency in even when there is a long list of people needing surgery.
Hopefully They can help him, and he can feel better than he has for a while.
My son also has problems with building alot of scarring in between surgeries, so I know how that can complicate things, but hopefully he hasn't had time to build up alot of new scarring since his last surgery was only a few months ago and the surgeons that have the most experience with multiple REDOS know the safest ways to do everything.
I hope you hear from them soon, I can imagine how stressful the waiting is for everyone.
 
Lyn,

Yes, Dr P's office has all of dad's records... and there sure is a LOT! lol.

The best part of today was that I got a call from Dr P's office... they were reviewing his file and just had some questions. They will continue to review and get back to us "shortly." So that sounded very promising. My heart was racing when they called... but this time the anxiety was simply beacuse I was so happy to hear from them!

May you all continue to send us all your Mojo via whatever means you've already been doing... beacuse it sure does seem to be working! Keep the good karma coming... as my family and I are sending it right back at ya!
 
I'm glad to hear things are moving along quickly. Do you have permission to talk to your father doctors or make decisions ect? IF not you might want to make sure your Dad has everyone that he wants to be able to talk to his doctors listed and the HIPPA forms filled out.
 
Still waiting! UGH. It sure is amazing how days can feel like eternities when you have to wait for answers. I can't even begin to imagine how it feels for my dad.

So, in the interim we decided to celebrate Dad's 70th on Sunday. (His bday is next Friday.) This way he'll get to see all the grandkids in their Halloween get-ups... the little ones always bring smiles to his face. Should be a fun day.

Lets just pray that Monday brings us some news.

Thanks for listening.
 
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