Hello all. My partner (59) and I are weighing our surgical options for his mitral valve repair (severe regurgitation). Here are our two options:
1. We can travel in-state about two hours for an endoscopic surgery (there is only one minimally invasive mitral valve surgeon in Maine).
2. We can travel four hours to Boston for a robotic-assisted surgery from a higher volume hospital. Boston, however, will require jumping through some hoops like childcare, insurance, etc.
My question: Is it worth pursuing the robotic-assisted surgery? I would appreciate any insight people have. I've deep dived into the science, and it looks like outcomes are fairly similar. Boston definitely is advertising its mitral program pretty hard (sponsored ads on Google), but it's pretty hard to ascertain the experience of the surgeons and their teams in either hospital.
Are there some pointed questions I could ask of both surgeons to help us make a decision?
J Alexander Lassally Hi there.... The robot program is relatively new to Boston so their experience base is not that high ... Read more
J Alexander Lassally Hi there.... The robot program is relatively new to Boston so their experience base is not that high in robot. There are definitely other programs which would be preferred for that option. That probably explains their aggressive marketing ! There is a case series at Mass General which showcased their time on pump and other variables. When you say endoscopic, I assume you mean manual thoracotomy, right?
Sonja Heyck-Merlin Thanks for the response. Interesting perspective on Mass General. Yes, they can do a manual thoracoto ... Read more
Sonja Heyck-Merlin Thanks for the response. Interesting perspective on Mass General. Yes, they can do a manual thoracotomy in Portland, Maine. The surgeon in Portland was hired specifically for these surgeries about four years ago (from Canada) and does a few of these mitral valve repairs a week. He seemed capable and confident; my partner is very healthy.
J Alexander Lassally Hi Sonja - Sure thing. Their surgeon (Mass Gen) did a lot of thoracotomy over the years (patients on ... Read more
J Alexander Lassally Hi Sonja - Sure thing. Their surgeon (Mass Gen) did a lot of thoracotomy over the years (patients on here happy with him). But yes, robot new in Beantown... It is all about volume for a center to be great... So drill there. A few a week sounds high for Maine... Double check. (Just for context, my local hospital on west coast did ~40-50 a year which is the bare minimum. They say ~50-60 to be great. I went elsewhere.) Happy to chat further.
Robert Miller I am not sure what the difference is between an endoscopic surgery and a robotic-assisted surgery. Bo ... Read more
Robert Miller I am not sure what the difference is between an endoscopic surgery and a robotic-assisted surgery. Both sound minimal invasive which is great if you have the option. But I think the main question you have to ask is how many such SPECIFIC procedures the surgeon did and if he will do it or if he will "just" be overseeing it. Maybe for minimal invasive surgery it's different but with open heart surgery I would rather travel an additional 2h and have to deal with childcare, etc if there is any potential advantage going with that other doctor/hospital.
Christine Maiorano Hi Sonja, is your partner definitely a candidate for minimally invasive mitral valve repair? If the s ... Read more
Christine Maiorano Hi Sonja, is your partner definitely a candidate for minimally invasive mitral valve repair? If the surgery is done robotically , I’d want to know how many procedures the Dr has done. I had hoped to have robotic surgery with Dr Gillinov at Cleveland Clinic, but he decided a full sternotomy was needed. Remember you want the best and safest surgery not the easiest. Often it’s necessary to travel and make child . care arrangements and deal with insurance issues but it’s worth the inconvenience. Wishing you the best of luck👍
Sonja Heyck-Merlin Hi Christine. Both Boston and Portland agree that minimally invasive is appropriate in our situation. ... Read more
Sonja Heyck-Merlin Hi Christine. Both Boston and Portland agree that minimally invasive is appropriate in our situation. If you don’t mind asking, how did your surgeon make their decision on the sternotomy? I am glad your recovery has gone so well by the way.
I am from: Charleston , Maine
1. We ...Read more
1. We can travel in-state about two hours for an endoscopic surgery (there is only one minimally invasive mitral valve surgeon in Maine).
2. We can travel four hours to Boston for a robotic-assisted surgery from a higher volume hospital. Boston, however, will require jumping through some hoops like childcare, insurance, etc.
My question: Is it worth pursuing the robotic-assisted surgery? I would appreciate any insight people have. I've deep dived into the science, and it looks like outcomes are fairly similar. Boston definitely is advertising its mitral program pretty hard (sponsored ads on Google), but it's pretty hard to ascertain the experience of the surgeons and their teams in either hospital.
Are there some pointed questions I could ask of both surgeons to help us make a decision?
There is a case series at Mass General which showcased their time on pump and other variables.
When you say endoscopic, I assume you mean manual thoracotomy, right?
It is all about volume for a center to be great... So drill there. A few a week sounds high for Maine... Double check. (Just for context, my local hospital on west coast did ~40-50 a year which is the bare minimum. They say ~50-60 to be great. I went elsewhere.) Happy to chat further.