"I went to Cleveland Clinic for a second opinion and was seen by Dr. Tong. My anxiety was high as this was going to be my 2nd valve surgery. From the very first moment I met Dr. Tong, he put me at ease. He was very informative but explained my complex procedure so my family and I could understand.
I required a mitral valve replacement and a repair of the tricuspid valve. The surgery was a success and so far my recovery had minimal complications.
I highly recommend Dr Tong for anyone who need complex valve surgery. In addition to meeting my family and I before the surgery, he very calmly spoke to me in the operating room and saw him a few days after the surgery.
It was an added bonus that you have a skilled surgeon who also has excellent bedside manners."
-- Sherry Mitchell, Mitral Valve, Tricuspid Valve, Valve Repair, Valve Replacement, Median Sternotomy, 04/09/2025
"Dr. Tong was great in describing what my treatment would be. And the benefits. He also let me know the current condition of my heart and that I would be a low risk surgery in spite of my age. He we very thoughtful to me and my family prior to surgery. He and his team were wonderful to me during my 6-day stay at the Cleveland Clinic. I am very grateful."
-- Charlie Tardivo, Aortic Valve, Coronary Artery Bypass, 11/13/2024
"Dr. Tong is amazing! He spent time prior to surgery explaining the procedure and why it required him to perform it open heart. I was born with a congenital heart defect that needed the attention of a specialist like him.
I found him at the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute in Cleveland through a second opinion. He is a skilled and caring surgeon who gave me a new life going into my retirement years. Dr. Tong saw me everyday in the hospital while I was there and was always caring and easy to talk to.
My scar is minimal and he did not dismiss me when I had any concerns. He also works with an amazing team. I would highly recommend him to anyone needing heart surgery especially pulmonary valve replacement."
-- Sue OBrien, Pulmonary Valve, Valve Replacement, 11/08/2022
"I underwent a very high risk surgery with the amazing Dr. Tong. My proposed surgery was an exceedingly difficult undertaking because I had radiation heart disease, which meant there was extensive fibrosis through out my chest plus I was a re-do sternotomy, which made getting through the sternum difficult because of scar tissue.
I met with Dr. Tong in Cleveland where he reviewed my home records and ordered new tests and reviewed everything with me extensively. I was struck by his kindness and compassion as well as his interest in my case. We met again before the surgery and I felt very reassured by his intelligence and knowledge about this specialized type of procedure. The surgery was seven and half hours long, shorter than expected because he didn't have to do the commando procedure but did have to replace part of the aorta. I won't lie, the first few days were rough in the ICU but I had almost no pain. The ICU nurses were amazing and took good care of me. I had a few expected complications, but with the nature of my difficult case I expected them.
Dr. Tong is a wonderful, gifted surgeon. If I needed further work I wouldn't hesitate to use him again. His bedside manner is superior and genuine, and he sincerely cares about his patients. He visited me in the ICU after the surgery and once in the step-down, which I wasn't expecting but I think he was concerned and he is a very caring physician.
The combination of surgical skill and knowledge plus compassion make him a truly remarkable surgeon. Thank you Dr. Tong!"
-- Miriam St. Clair, Aortic Valve, Mitral Valve, Tricuspid Valve, Valve Repair, Valve Replacement, 09/19/2022
"Dr. Tong is one of the nicest guys you ever want to meet and he saved my life. I just want to say thank you and I recommend him 10 times over."
-- Ed Kilbourne, Pulmonary Valve, 10/12/2021
"Dr. Tong is an excellent doctor with great bedside manner. Compassionate, brilliantly, informative and answered all of my questions, as well as my family’s. Dr Tong’s nurse, Sue, responded quickly to any of my inquiries before and after surgery.
I highly recommend my surgeon and Cleveland Clinic, Ohio. I remain in their care for my follow up care."
-- Kathleen Sciacca, Mitral Valve, Valve Replacement, Median Sternotomy, 08/24/2021
"Dr. Tong is an excellent communicator. He is calm and confident in his demeanor and knowledgeable. He handled my Aortic Valve replacement and Bypass for one artery in the same procedure."
-- Thomas Micek, Aortic Valve, Valve Replacement, Median Sternotomy, 08/21/2020
"This surgeon is absolutely amazing! I felt very confident in Dr. Tong on my first visit with him. He is very personal and caring. He is one of those people that can display his intelligence, confidence,kindness merely by his disposition. I was blessed to have the best I believe to perform the procedures, Dr. Tong completed for me. This is Day 5 after surgery I am getting my legs back underneath me again. All tests I believe are positive and if and when I ever required a heart surgery again I would be trying to find Dr. Tong to perform. Highly recommend him to anyone facing this! Stressful time going into the unknown for me, but I feel I couldn’t have got anyone better ( so do others as well)!"
-- John Adderley , Aortic Valve, Valve Replacement, Root Replacement, Maze Procedure, 02/18/2019
"Michael Tong is a excellent skilled, compassionate surgeon. I can't say enough good things about his surgical team. All the nurse practitioners were wonderful. You will be well taken care of with this team."
-- Peggie Lieske, Aortic Valve, Valve Replacement, Mini Sternotomy, 12/11/2018
"I had a great experience with my AVR in May 2018 with Dr. Tong, his staff, and the nursing staff at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland. I think Dr. Tong could have completed my surgery blind folded and with one arm tied behind his back. Fortunately, he didn't, but I felt comfortable with him as my surgeon the entire time."
-- Fred Seling, Aortic Valve, Valve Replacement, 05/04/2018
"Surgery was at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Tong and his staff were great at explaining things before-and-after surgery. They did their best at making me feel comfortable and confident that I would be ok."
-- Sheila Riley, Aortic Valve, Valve Replacement, 10/31/2017
"I had an amazing experience at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Tong met with us and went over everything about the surgery and what to expect. He also answered all of our questions and spent time with us. We never felt rushed and he had a very calming manner.
We felt very confident after meeting with Dr. Tong about my surgery.
After surgery, he assured us that everything went very well and that I would recover nicely. I would give Dr. Tong a + 10 rating , 10 being the best."
-- Karen Shearer, Aortic Valve, Valve Replacement, Root Replacement, 10/07/2016
"I found Dr. Tong absolutely amazing. his explanations before surgery, his attention to me after surgery and his ongoing care has been wonderful. I thoroughly have confidence in him and would be more than pleased to recommend him to anyone."
-- Paul Hincke, Aortic Valve, Valve Replacement, 10/07/2016
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