Dr S did my mom's aortic valve replacement in 2011. She was so high risk but this was her only chance. Before the surgery he called me at home & answered all my queries gently & thoroughly. Her valve was so ragged he was surprised she had made it to surgery. Surgery went great but he was open & frank about her chances b/c she had liver failure. She needed ER surgery the next day b/c of bleeding into the heart sac. He returned Monday to find she had multiple systems failures (the only thing that didn't fail was her heart) & that none of the other docs wanted to tell us she would not recover; he was very angry on our behalf. He sat w/us in a quiet room & told her gently she wasn't going to survive w/o a miracle. To soften the blow he said we could keep trying for another week but he did not think it would be helpful. He is highly competent & very compassionate. I knew he had a good reputation but after experiencing it, I would never use another cardiothoracic surgeon.

Submitted June 2, 2013