looking for da Vinci surgeon in Central Texas

[a_dalhouse]

Hi all,
I am new to this list. I am a 45 year old mother to 2 girls (ages 8 & 6) and was diagnosed with severe mitral regurgitation 5 years ago. I've been monitored with echoes every 6 months and my cardiologist is now recommending surgery to hopefully repair but possibly replace my mitral valve.

I live in Austin and have not found anyone who does the da Vinci method here. I am not yet sure that I am a candidate for da Vinci, but if I am than I definitely would prefer to go that route. I have found a da Vinci surgeon in San Antonio - Dr. Renata Ford - and have an appt. with her tomorrow afternoon. I don't yet know however, how long she has been doing this surgery, as she is young (just 42) and I have not had luck finding many reviews of her. Though she is graded well on Healthgrades.

So first off I would like to see if anyone on here has recommendations for da Vinci surgeons in Texas? I am willing to travel.
Also I would like to ask if anyone has recommendations for how to go about finding ratings and reviews for surgeons and hospitals? I hear that maybe even more important than finding a surgeon is finding a hospital with a low infection rate.

Any help and ANY information on the da Vinci procedure (I would love to hear anyone's personal experience with it) would be greatly appreciated!

Thank You,
Andrea

 

[ejc61]

Hello Andrea,

I had robotic surgery almost 4 years ago. I was 47 years old, with severe regurg but asymptomatic. A TEE and heart cath confirmed that I had no other heart issues like clogged valves etc. I was therefore deemed a good candidate. It was a repair of the posterior leaflet to be specific. It was my first surgery ever and was pleasantly surprised how "relatively" smooth it went. I had surgery on Thursday and left the hospital Sun afternoon. I did have a case with pleural effusion about 7 weeks after but that went away after about a month and this is known to possibly happen with any body cavity surgery. If you are considering travelling to Atlanta, my surgeon is excellent and world renown for his work in robotics.

 

[a_dalhouse]

Thanks for your reply! I spent the day yesterday traveling to San Antonio and then meeting with a cardiac surgeon who does robotic surgery. And sadly my impression of her was confirmed. In all respects she seems like a doctor I would love to have - she's very caring and devoted to her patients and passionate about minimally invasive surgery. Unfortunately she has very little experience. After doing a years fellowship with the "father of robotic surgery", she then had a year off to have a baby and then has now been in private practice for a little over a year. And in the past year she's only done 5 of these surgeries. Sadly, not enough for me to feel comfortable going with her. Also I was confused in that she said though I am a candidate for robotics, that because I am thin with a very small rib cage, she would go in through my ribs on the right side but not need the robot as she would be able to see it all and just do it without the robot. I don't really understand this. It sounds to me like a thoracotomy which I thought was different than robotic?

If you don't mind, could you tell me where all your incisions were and how similar your robotic surgery was to a thoracotomy as far as you know. This is all very confusing to me.

Thanks for any help!! And I'd really love to hear from anyone else out there who's had robotic cardiac surgery.
Andrea

 

[dtread]

Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, MD uses da Vinci for cardiac surgery; https://www.adventisthealthcare.com/WAH/services/surgical/

 

[ejc61]

Hello Andrea,

Basically a right thoracotomy involves a 2 to 3 inch incision around the right breast. My robotic approach involved 4 to 5 quarter inch incisions around the right breast as well. About 3-4 of these incisions were needed to account for the robotic apparatus and nothing more. My incisions disappeared by 4-6 months if not earlier. Today, I cannot see them. Both of these techniques are similar in what they are trying to accomplish. The right thoracotomy is just done more manually. In my opinion, and I am nowhere near a doctor, both methods are less invasive than a sternotomy which involves cutting through the sternum. Honestly, I was going with the right thoracotomy until I gave the robotic a hard look. My surgeon is incredible and I'm glad I made that decision. I also think the right thoracotomy is a good decision. I spoke with 2 surgeons and neither thought about doing a sternotomy. I hope this helps.

 

[AgilityDog]

Andrea,
There are lots of surgeons in Dallas area who are advertizing use of the DaVinci, but not all for heart surgery. My aortic valve surgery was done by William Ryan, who's at Baylor Plano - The Heart Hospital. I know Baylor Plano has the DaVinci, so you might want to start with Dr. Ryan.

Medical City has a DaVinci, but they're not bragging about using it for heart surgeries. BUT you should contact Dr. Bruce Bowers (who is a partner with my cardio, Eric Eichhorn). Dr. B. is director of interventional research, Dallas Valve Institute @ Med City. They're doing trans cath. aortic valves. (not your thing, I know). I'd suggest contacting them/ their practices. Both are exceptional doctors, and if they don't use the DaVinci themselves for valve work, they'll know who does.

 

[a_dalhouse]

Thanks for the info! It does seem that finding someone to do a thoracotomy will be easier than finding a robotic surgeon. I am going to keep looking in San Antonio and then if I can't find anyone there move on to Houston - the next convenient city for me. Certainly I should be able to find all kinds of heart experts in Houston?! If not, then I guess I will start looking in Dallas. Hoping to find the right surgeon soon!!

Andrea