Bob's Guestbook

Hi Michelee! My case is certainly different than yours. As an engineer who doesn't do anything without researching the heck out of it, I too would want to find out how many aneurysm surgeries they do each year. Ask me about echos, TAVRs, etc and I've probably researched it. Nothing about aneurysms though. I was even signed up to possibly have a TAVR which UDub was doing for a national low risk patient study until I did the research, talked to the TAVR surgeon and decided it wasn't for me. I also interviewed Dr Verrier and though I'm sure it would have worked out fine, he gave me the impression that since it is a teaching school a lot of the operation would be done by students with him being present. I didn't find that comforting. My first choice was Dr Glenn Barnhart at Swedish based on his video and research on this and other heart surgery sites. When I interviewed him, he indicated that I needed surgery VERY SOON. I liked his demeanor, his knowledge and how he talked and explained everything to me using my CT scan, echos and angiogram results. I decided he could do the job. So I agreed to have the operation the next day. I knew I needed surgery as soon as I could schedule it but next day was a surprise. At least I didn't have to fret, worry etc. I just got it done. I considered going out of state to Cleveland Clinic since this is my life we are talking about, but aortic valve replacement with or without coronary artery bypass is now so common that it is done lots of places with outstanding results. If it was a mitral valve repair, multiple valves or something more complicated or specialized than a single valve replacement, I might have more seriously considered going elsewhere. More than a few people on this site have gone to CC and have had different problems so though CC may have great surgeons and perform tons of operations, crap can happen anywhere. Good luck on your search and research! Bob