Hummm....perhaps it depends on the search that one does? I googled this site: http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings/cardiology-and-heart-surgery
and it ranks Cleveland #1?
Needing Surgery Soon
- Thread starter iheart
- Start date
Help Support Valve Replacement Forums:
Hummm....perhaps it depends on the search that one does? I googled this site: http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings/cardiology-and-heart-surgery
and it ranks Cleveland #1?
Jkm7
Well-known member
The link you supply does not clearly indicate 2012-2013.
I think it was for an earlier year ranking.
My link clearly stated 2012-2013.
Below is the header for the article.
Mass General appears to be #1 overall and #5 for hearts. Cleveland Clinic is #1 for hearts. The differences between top contenders can come down to number of procedures done each year and long-standing reputation. There are both objective and subjective aspects to the rankings. Both are excellent choices for heart surgery.
"Ron, I am at the same point as you, looking for a good surgeon in my area to do my avr. It sure has helped me reading all of these posts. Good luck in your search and with your surgery. Kim"
Hey Kim!
I hear ya! The posts here have really, really helped me, and I'm so glad they've also helped you. I will say THANK YOU to everyone who's taken the time to post on this thread once again. Everyday that goes by I find out more about what's ahead, and while it's still scary stuff, I'm more ready for it now & wanting to get it over with as soon as possible. I'm hoping to find out in the next couple days when my surgery will take place. Also hoping I'm a candidate for the "David Proceedure" in which the aorta and valve are repaired, rather than replaced. Good luck on your surgery, Kim and keep us posted as to how it goes!
Ron
Hey Kim!
I hear ya! The posts here have really, really helped me, and I'm so glad they've also helped you. I will say THANK YOU to everyone who's taken the time to post on this thread once again. Everyday that goes by I find out more about what's ahead, and while it's still scary stuff, I'm more ready for it now & wanting to get it over with as soon as possible. I'm hoping to find out in the next couple days when my surgery will take place. Also hoping I'm a candidate for the "David Proceedure" in which the aorta and valve are repaired, rather than replaced. Good luck on your surgery, Kim and keep us posted as to how it goes!
Ron
Hi Ron,
I just realized you were in Virginia. You have the choice of several excellent heart centers and surgeons in the greater DC area. There a few people still active on the forum who went to Inova Fairfax, as I did (moved away in year 4 after surgery). It's hard to imagine better results than I had with the surgery. If you start a thread with 'surgeon' and 'Virginia' in the title, you may get their attention, and maybe others I don't know about.
I just realized you were in Virginia. You have the choice of several excellent heart centers and surgeons in the greater DC area. There a few people still active on the forum who went to Inova Fairfax, as I did (moved away in year 4 after surgery). It's hard to imagine better results than I had with the surgery. If you start a thread with 'surgeon' and 'Virginia' in the title, you may get their attention, and maybe others I don't know about.
Pat J
Well-known member
I live in southern Maryland and had my aortic valve replaced 3 weeks ago at Johns Hopkins (#3) in Baltimore and was less than impressed
Heart Of The Sunrise
Well-known member
Hi Pat: Why were you disappointed and what type of valve did you have put in? How is your recovery going? Lots of support here.
Pat J
Well-known member
Mechanical valve on Feb 15.
My surgery was postponed as my surgeon had too many scheduled.
Dr Conte, my surgeon, did not even talk with me on the day of surgery.
Learned a resident was doing surgery as I was being wheeled into surgery.
Thought I was having a mini, but had me down for a full surgery and a by pass that I did not need. Noticed when they asked me to sign concent forms. Sent a resident to talk with me who barely spoke English.
Woke from surgery vomiting and did not stop until 3 weeks post surgery when my local cardiologist saw me and changed meds.
Rarely saw the same nurse, PA, or any staff person for the 5 days I was in the hospital.
Kept tossing med after med at me for pain/nausea with no good effects (and some really bad effects) or even caring what I thought I should do.
Seemed to be a well run, state of the art facility with no heart.
My surgery was postponed as my surgeon had too many scheduled.
Dr Conte, my surgeon, did not even talk with me on the day of surgery.
Learned a resident was doing surgery as I was being wheeled into surgery.
Thought I was having a mini, but had me down for a full surgery and a by pass that I did not need. Noticed when they asked me to sign concent forms. Sent a resident to talk with me who barely spoke English.
Woke from surgery vomiting and did not stop until 3 weeks post surgery when my local cardiologist saw me and changed meds.
Rarely saw the same nurse, PA, or any staff person for the 5 days I was in the hospital.
Kept tossing med after med at me for pain/nausea with no good effects (and some really bad effects) or even caring what I thought I should do.
Seemed to be a well run, state of the art facility with no heart.
Heart Of The Sunrise
Well-known member
Pat: That is the most disturbing situation of have heard about since I have been on this site (Oct. 2012 when I was diagnosed) I have had a very high opinion of Hopkins, now I wonder. I hope and pray that your recovery process goes well and that you are consistently feeling better and getting stronger everyday. You are in my thoughts. Take care!
Hi Pat,
Sorry to hear about your experience. I had two valve replacement surgeries at the Cleveland Clinic within the past 9 years and my experiences were similar to yours in a few ways and quite different in others.
My first surgery was postponed for a day because another patient who needed emergency surgery arrived at the hospital and I was bumped. Fortunately, the hospital had clearly explained that possibility beforehand. I was disappointed but not caught off-guard. If that’s what happened to you, it should have been explained more clearly.
I also encountered some resident doctors with thick accents. I figured people come from all around the world to train at some of our best hospitals so it was to be expected.
For both of my surgeries, my surgeon was assisted by a resident surgeon. I knew that's the way it works at teaching hospitals, so before my first surgery, I asked my surgeon directly "who will be doing my surgery?” (I wanted to make sure he was the one since I had chosen him so carefully). He said "I will do the surgery on your heart and I will be assisted by another surgeon. The other surgeon will open your chest and put you on the heart-lung machine, I will do the surgery on your aorta and valve. The other surgeon will close you up after I'm finished.” I was fine with that approach.
For my second surgery, I had the same surgeon and I asked him again “who will be doing my surgery?” He said “since this is a reoperation, I will be the one opening your chest. I will do your valve surgery and the other surgeon will assist me. I will probably have the other surgeon close you up if everything is going smoothly.” I appreciated the honest and straightforward explanation.
For my second surgery, I noticed a very deliberate pre-surgery routine. As I was waiting on the gurney outside the operating room, three people came by and introduced themselves to me and each one asked me to repeat my understanding of exactly what surgical procedures I was having that day. The three people were the lead surgical nurse, the anesthesiologist and the anesthesiology resident. After I was wheeled into the operating room, moved from the gurney to the operating table, and had my IV started for anesthesia, my surgeon came in for a team meeting. Everyone gathered around the operating table and my surgeon led the meeting. He said "this is Mr. **** and today we are going to remove and replace his calcified bio-prosthetic valve. We are going to replace it with either an On-X valve or a St. Jude's valve depending on the geometry we find inside his heart when we remove the old valve. Does anyone have any questions?” He then turned to me and said "Mr. ****, do you have any questions or anything to add?” After the brief meeting, he patted me on the shoulder and said "we're going to take good care of you". The pre-surgery routine was AWESOME and should be the standard of care everywhere.
I hope others will share their stories here. I don’t think your experience was typical. Glad to hear you’re doing well despite the hospital experience.
Sorry to hear about your experience. I had two valve replacement surgeries at the Cleveland Clinic within the past 9 years and my experiences were similar to yours in a few ways and quite different in others.
My first surgery was postponed for a day because another patient who needed emergency surgery arrived at the hospital and I was bumped. Fortunately, the hospital had clearly explained that possibility beforehand. I was disappointed but not caught off-guard. If that’s what happened to you, it should have been explained more clearly.
I also encountered some resident doctors with thick accents. I figured people come from all around the world to train at some of our best hospitals so it was to be expected.
For both of my surgeries, my surgeon was assisted by a resident surgeon. I knew that's the way it works at teaching hospitals, so before my first surgery, I asked my surgeon directly "who will be doing my surgery?” (I wanted to make sure he was the one since I had chosen him so carefully). He said "I will do the surgery on your heart and I will be assisted by another surgeon. The other surgeon will open your chest and put you on the heart-lung machine, I will do the surgery on your aorta and valve. The other surgeon will close you up after I'm finished.” I was fine with that approach.
For my second surgery, I had the same surgeon and I asked him again “who will be doing my surgery?” He said “since this is a reoperation, I will be the one opening your chest. I will do your valve surgery and the other surgeon will assist me. I will probably have the other surgeon close you up if everything is going smoothly.” I appreciated the honest and straightforward explanation.
For my second surgery, I noticed a very deliberate pre-surgery routine. As I was waiting on the gurney outside the operating room, three people came by and introduced themselves to me and each one asked me to repeat my understanding of exactly what surgical procedures I was having that day. The three people were the lead surgical nurse, the anesthesiologist and the anesthesiology resident. After I was wheeled into the operating room, moved from the gurney to the operating table, and had my IV started for anesthesia, my surgeon came in for a team meeting. Everyone gathered around the operating table and my surgeon led the meeting. He said "this is Mr. **** and today we are going to remove and replace his calcified bio-prosthetic valve. We are going to replace it with either an On-X valve or a St. Jude's valve depending on the geometry we find inside his heart when we remove the old valve. Does anyone have any questions?” He then turned to me and said "Mr. ****, do you have any questions or anything to add?” After the brief meeting, he patted me on the shoulder and said "we're going to take good care of you". The pre-surgery routine was AWESOME and should be the standard of care everywhere.
I hope others will share their stories here. I don’t think your experience was typical. Glad to hear you’re doing well despite the hospital experience.
Hello all,
Thought I would follow up since I received my tentative surgery date. It will be April 18th, at the Cleveland Clinic with Dr. Gosta Pettersson. I'm really happy to have gotten him, I've heard he's one of the best. It will be about 14 days total on the ground in Cleveland. Three days of tests before surgery. Then a day in ICU and 5 days in the hosp plus several more days hanging around to make sure it all goes well.
For those who've read through this entire thread, I wanted to let you know I told my boys about the surgery early on, and that went extremely well. They seemed a little surprised, and worried--as this whole thing came out of the blue--but seem to be handling it just fine. They will not be traveling with me, but will help out once I get back home.
I'm really excited about getting this done so quickly. I'm tired of wondering if my aorta is dissecting when I get some odd pain in my chest or back. But you know how that goes eh? Lol.
Thought I would follow up since I received my tentative surgery date. It will be April 18th, at the Cleveland Clinic with Dr. Gosta Pettersson. I'm really happy to have gotten him, I've heard he's one of the best. It will be about 14 days total on the ground in Cleveland. Three days of tests before surgery. Then a day in ICU and 5 days in the hosp plus several more days hanging around to make sure it all goes well.
For those who've read through this entire thread, I wanted to let you know I told my boys about the surgery early on, and that went extremely well. They seemed a little surprised, and worried--as this whole thing came out of the blue--but seem to be handling it just fine. They will not be traveling with me, but will help out once I get back home.
I'm really excited about getting this done so quickly. I'm tired of wondering if my aorta is dissecting when I get some odd pain in my chest or back. But you know how that goes eh? Lol.
Rachel
Well-known member
Sounds like you're in great hands, glad to hear that you've got a date set and that all seems well with your kids!
I'll be thinking of you!
Rachel
I'll be thinking of you!
Rachel
Well onward you go on this journey. Glad to hear your sons took the news in stride. You seem to have all your ducks in a row, so now it's just a matter of "git er done". I shall be praying for a successful surgery and smooth recovery for you. Enjoy your time with your family before surgery and truly enjoy your family and life after you get your heart mended. Best Wishes 
TheGymGuy
Well-known member
I was following this thread and wanted to say that it looks like your surgery was yesterday. Best of wishes on smooth recovery and hope to hear an update on how it all went very soon.
Praying that all went well yesterday and looking forward to reading your posts when you're stronger.
Take care!
Take care!
Guyswell,
FYI. The pre-op conference is mandated. It does not have to include the patient though. It is called a "timeout". It ensures that the correct patient and correct procedure is done. Everyone involved must agree that the right patient, right procedure, and if applicable the right side of the body. It must be completed on almost every invasive procedure not just surgery. I was alert when it was done before my heart cath. I was already sedated when it was done for my OHS since I was sedated in the pre-op area. I don't even remember leaving the pre-op area. An example when I have been involved in a "time out" as a nurse is when a lumbar puncture had to be done on one of my patients.
Debbie
FYI. The pre-op conference is mandated. It does not have to include the patient though. It is called a "timeout". It ensures that the correct patient and correct procedure is done. Everyone involved must agree that the right patient, right procedure, and if applicable the right side of the body. It must be completed on almost every invasive procedure not just surgery. I was alert when it was done before my heart cath. I was already sedated when it was done for my OHS since I was sedated in the pre-op area. I don't even remember leaving the pre-op area. An example when I have been involved in a "time out" as a nurse is when a lumbar puncture had to be done on one of my patients.
Debbie
Hello again, I wanted to catch everyone up on the news about my surgery. I had my surgery on the April 18th, as planned, and all has gone well! There were a small few hitches along the way, but I was able to be released five days after surgery as planned. I had surgery to repair an aneurysm and to replace my bicusp. aortic valve (it couldn't be repaired). I ended up going to the Cleveland Clinic, and having an aortic valve root, ascending aorta and hemiarch replacement with composite graft and including a 27mm Carpentier Edwards pericardial valve and a 32mm Hemashield graft. Dr Gosta Pettersson did the surgery.
The worst part of it all for me was waking up in ICU with the breathing tube in--wanted to pull that thing out and tried several times. Finally they took it out and put me on oxygen. I ended up getting nauseated and barfed all over my incision! While in ICU I had a TIA episode, my left arm went numb/weak, I was foggy-headed, and had some vision problems (similar to a migraine) and poor balance. They moved me to a stepdown room, but the TIA stuff lasted for 21/2 days. During that time I remained foggey-headed, and pulled my catheter out (ouch!). Then, on the Sunday after my surgery, it all seemed to clear up. I was after 5 days released, after having had a CAT scan and MRI which showed a very small amount of damage to my brain which could not for certain be attributed to the TIA event. (Might have been from the 1970's for all they were able to tell me.) I'm home now, it's 11 days after my surgery, and three days since I used any pain medication other than advil.
My overall thoughts about the "surgery" process is that it was not nearly as bad as I feared it would be; I especially feared the cath angiogram, which turned out not nearly be so bad at all. After the rough couple of days coming out of surgery I felt much better and thought to myself, "if this is all i had to go through I'm pretty lucky, because I'm not in much pain at all right now, and I'm fixed!" I want those of you that have surgeries coming up to know the process you will go through is a tested one, and to breathe a little easier about the whole thing!
Ron
The worst part of it all for me was waking up in ICU with the breathing tube in--wanted to pull that thing out and tried several times. Finally they took it out and put me on oxygen. I ended up getting nauseated and barfed all over my incision! While in ICU I had a TIA episode, my left arm went numb/weak, I was foggy-headed, and had some vision problems (similar to a migraine) and poor balance. They moved me to a stepdown room, but the TIA stuff lasted for 21/2 days. During that time I remained foggey-headed, and pulled my catheter out (ouch!). Then, on the Sunday after my surgery, it all seemed to clear up. I was after 5 days released, after having had a CAT scan and MRI which showed a very small amount of damage to my brain which could not for certain be attributed to the TIA event. (Might have been from the 1970's for all they were able to tell me.) I'm home now, it's 11 days after my surgery, and three days since I used any pain medication other than advil.
My overall thoughts about the "surgery" process is that it was not nearly as bad as I feared it would be; I especially feared the cath angiogram, which turned out not nearly be so bad at all. After the rough couple of days coming out of surgery I felt much better and thought to myself, "if this is all i had to go through I'm pretty lucky, because I'm not in much pain at all right now, and I'm fixed!" I want those of you that have surgeries coming up to know the process you will go through is a tested one, and to breathe a little easier about the whole thing!
Ron
Welcome back iheart. Glad to hear that you have gotten over those hurdles. Now just recover well. Rest, Eat, Walk and repeat. Best Wishes to you
