Surgery Back On--Surgeon Questions??

[Dianne]

The results of my TEE on 6-28 supported the results of the echo done last month, both of which contradicted the cath done on 6-14. My symptoms/ how I feel also support the echo and TEE. A different doctor in the office ended up doing the TEE and was able to compare previous TEEs with the current one. My regular doctor reviewed all and gave me a plausable reason for conflicting cath result.I am back to being at severe AI level, do have LV enlargement and am comfortable with the decision that I need the surgery afterall.

I see the surgeon on July 10th to set the surgery date, etc. I've tried to check the old forum for questions to ask the surgeon. But, I'd sure appreciate any additional comments, questions not to forget to ask him, etc.

Thanks in advance. Everyone has been so helpful, and I feel like I'm getting quite an education here!

Dianne

 

[Mara]

surgeon questions

surgeon questions

Dianne

Everyone here was very helpful with questions for surgeons when I asked.
Of course you want to know how many valve replacements has he/she done. In my case, with the Ross Procedure, I wanted to know how many AVR's and Ross's he had done.
Success rate. morbidity/mortality rates.

If you are having the surgery done at a teaching hosptial ask the surgeon how much of the operation he does personally and how much he has fellows do. Here is a tip....the new crop of fellows will begin July1....they are not as experienced as the folks who just left the rotations...be aware that at big teaching hospitals you tend to get a lot of residents doing large protions of surgeries. Ask your surgeon. If you are uncomfortable with the thought of a "student" doing the op, be clear and inform the doc you want him to do 100%. That is not to say some of the fellows aren't good docs, think of Dr. Benton on ER, but some are still learing, ask yourself if you want to be the guniea pig. In my case with the Ross being a very technically demanding surgery, and outcomes tied to the skill of the surgeon, I wanted my doc to do 100% of the op, and he does, no fellows, no students.

Find out who the anesthesiologist is and check him/her out too. My brother is an anesthesiologist and does a lot of by-pass surgeries, I know from him that he has saved many a surgeon's bacon when a patient became compromised.

Make sure you feel comfortable with the surgeon. Personally, I think you want one who is confident and self-assured, but not a pompous jerk. I would also not want a surgeon who wanted to put me on his stat sheet of valve replacement patients, or on a list of patients who got XYZ valve. I wanted a guy who explored the options with me and determined what was best in my situtation in concert with my cardio.

If you are getting a mechanical valve, I am sure the coumadin-ers here have great questions to ask about about post-op coumadin concerns.

I am a lawyer, so i asked my surgeon point blank if he had any malpractice suits and the outcomes. We lawyers have a saying: there are two kinds of doctors; those who have been sued and those who will be. Just because a doc has had a malpractice suit filed, does not mean he is incompetent....there are a lot of stupid suits filed.

the biggest help for me was to research the Ross Procedure and get educated and then ask questions. That might work for you, too. The more you understand the op the better you feel.

Good Luck!
Mara
p.s. my mom spells Dianne just like you

 

[Gillian (in UK)]

I didn't have anyone to go with me to see the surgeon and I asked him if I could record what he said. I don't think he liked it, but he said ok. All I know is I wouldn't have remembered half he said if I hadn't been able to play it back.

 

[Dianne]

Mara and Gillian

Mara
Thanks for all the ideas to ask. The idea of asking if students are involved is something I wouldn't probably have asked since I don't think of this hospital as a teaching one. But when I had my cath done, I did have some student nurses, come to think of it. Also my father was an attorney and had he been alive, he'd have given the same "lawyer talk" as you did. Thanks for the reminder! And I think your Mom is the second person I've heard of that spells it this way. Kind of an elete club maybe?! Hope things are going OK for you as your surgery date comes up.

Gillian
Thanks for idea of taking the recorder along. That had to have been difficult for you going alone to that appointment. Now If I can just remember to take a recorder!
Dianne