Dr. Matthew Powers
, Heart Surgeon

Torrance, CA
- Unregistered Surgeon

Patient Recommendations (1)

"Excellent experience, wonderful bedside manner, a patient, caring and an understanding surgeon. The results were super. This was a Mitral Valve Repair with an Annuloplasty Ring along with left Atrial Apendage clipping with an AtriClip."

Posted by Sandy Logan, Mitral Valve, Valve Repair, Median Sternotomy, 09/26/2023

> About this profile

Thanks to a verified patient recommendation, this surgeon has been included in our Surgeon Finder as an "Unregistered Surgeon". This surgeon does not have any association with this website, its educational efforts or its patient-advocacy initiatives. To see a list of "Registered Surgeons", please click here.

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Dr. Joanna Chikwe
Heart Surgeon

Los Angeles, CA - Registered Surgeon

Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai
8700 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA

(866) 345-1289

Patient Recommendations (51)

"During a regular visit, my general practitioner detected a heart murmur, performed an echo-cardiogram and referred me to a cardiologist. The cardiologist diagnosed me with severe mitral regurgitation and recommended that I meet with a surgeon. I was not only horrified but because I was asymptomatic, also in complete denial.

Research into mitral valve regurgitation led me to the Mitral Foundation which convinced me that I wanted to pursue a repair, if possible, by a surgeon who has met the Foundation’s standards for not only the number of repairs performed but also the success rate of the outcomes of those procedures.

As soon as we met with Dr Chikwe in a virtual meeting, we knew that she was the surgeon for me to go with. She is kind, caring, and compassionate. She shows that she understands how traumatic facing heart valve surgery is for a patient and relieves their anxiety by clearly explaining all parts of the surgery and the recuperation process. Because she is so thorough in her communication, she had answered most of my questions without my even asking them.

Under Dr. Chikwe’s leadership, the team at Cedars Sinai is amazing. Everyone we interfaced with was excellent in the treatment their patients. The result is to make Cedars Sinai a very special place not only because they enable you to restore your health but they do so in such a warm and caring way.

Although every member of the staff is a standout, Vivian Burkhart is pure gold. She is the kind of person who makes you feel better just by talking with her. For any issue you raise, Vivian has probably already thought of it and has a solution. A couple of times I sent her an email not realizing she was on vacation or on a day off. Both times she called me back within minutes. Her timely responses were very helpful in relieving my stress during a very stressful period. She maintained communication with my local cardiologist to keep him completely in the loop of the care I was receiving and my needs going forward.

I understand that everyone will have a unique outcome. My regurgitation went from severe to none. Because Reference Surgeons do many of these surgeries each year, they know how to deal with the nuances of each case. By choosing Dr. Chikwe, you are not only choosing a very experienced surgeon and team but also one who understands that the emotional side of surgery is just important as the physical."

-- Terri Babek, Mitral Valve, Valve Repair, Robotic Surgery

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Dr. Matthew Powers
, Heart Surgeon

Patient Recommendations (1)

Valve Specialist
Near Torrance, CA

Dr. Joanna Chikwe

Dr. Joanna Chikwe
Heart Surgeon

Dr. Matthew Powers, Heart Surgeon

Patient Recommendations (1)

Valve SpecialistNear Torrance, CA

Dr. Joanna Chikwe

Dr. Matthew Powers
, Heart Surgeon

Valve Specialist
Near Torrance, CA