Kathleen's Posts

Hi Kathleen, I'm in the area and can highly recommend Dr. Luis Castro at Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City. I talked to several surgeons at UCSF and at PAMF, and Dr. Castro was the only one I would trust with my heart. I had exactly the same diagnosis as you do and they specialize in valve surgery at Sequoia. They are a small and personal hospital as well so it might be worth a look! Best of luck! P.S. Dr. Castro is the highest rated surgeon on the site so you can check out what others say.

Happy to share! I had surgery on August 6, 2018, so it has been a little over a year. I chose a tissue valve. It was a hard decision to make but I decided that I didn't want to be on blood thinners or to hear my heart beat with a mechanical valve! If I were doing it now, I would ask about the new tissue valve that is supposed to last longer. Check it out. https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/heart-surgery-blog/2018/08/09/inspiris-resilia-fda-approval/

Kathleen, I also live in the JM service area, however when I looked at statistics as I was determining where to have my surgery, I found that Sequoia Hospital and Dr. Luis Castro have been doing valve surgeries much longer than JM and they have phenomenal results! Nothing against Dr. Veergandum, but I agree that Dr. Castro is the best. I had Mitral Valve Repair 9/28/16 and just had my 3 year post-op ECHO. My heart continues to get back to normal, I feel better than I had for years, and am SO PLEASED at my results. I am a physician and I was so impressed with my care at Sequoia. I highly recommend the hospital, Dr. Castro, and his team!

I just saw my cardiologist this last week and all is going well with me! The valve is doing perfectly, and I have been very lucky with my recovery. I had a couple of minor bouts of Afib in the hospital which is normal and I didn't even feel it. It seems as if the surgery never happened which is great news! I'm thrilled you're going to check out Dr. Castro! His partner Dr. Harmon is also awesome. They really care about their patients. I'll be curious to know how Dr. Castro feels about the inspiris valve. He may not feel it has long enough of a track record. Safety is always is his top concern! Keep us posted!