Oklahoma Surgery Reviews

Oklahoma City's Children's Hospital (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

What CHD does/did your child have? :: TOF

Where was your child's surgery done? :: OU children's hospital in Oklahoma City

Who did the surgery? :: Peter Pastuszko

When was the surgery done? :: Jul 13 2006

What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: They were wonderful and very attentive. My son's central line pulled out so he wasn't getting all of his meds and one of the PICU nurses found it. The nurses were great and talked and laughed with us, which was what we needed.

What did you think of the surgeon? :: I adore Dr. Pastuszko, he was very attentive to my son and his needs. I owuld definately go back to see him if my my boy every needs another surgery

Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: 100% yes

Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: The hospital is confusing, but you get the hang of it quickly. The parent hotel below the PICU is first come/ first serve and is only $25. I would reccomend both facility and surgeon to anybody
 

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Oklahoma City's Children's Hospital (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

What CHD does/did your child have? AVSD, no bottom right chamber & Protein C deficient

What was done to correct this CHD? 2 BT shunts (first clotted), AVSD and pulmonary valve repair, Fontan (waiting for second part), coiling of collateral vessels

Where was your child's surgery done? OU Medical Center: Children’s Hospital, Oklahoma City

Who did the surgery? Dr. Christopher Knott-Craig

When was the surgery done? May 2002, June 2002, September 2002, September 2003

What did you think of the hospital and staff? Oklahoma City has gotten a bad rap, by myself included, for being too provincial, too “small town.”  The truth is I could not have had a better surgeon in the world for our son’s particular CHD and the PICU nurses I owe my child’s life and my remaining sanity to.  We were offered the option of going to Houston and being put on the transplant list but felt strongly we were receiving our best care and potential outcome by staying here.

 
What did you think of the surgeon? Dr. Knott-Craig’s greatest gift is not his surgical skill (which is beyond outstanding).  It is his willingness to look at the whole patient, to assess where the child is developmentally and not just what O2 sats and cath reports say.  He is a strong practitioner of determining where the patient’s family is, in terms of their ability to understand and cope.  He is not so mesmerized by the tremendous advance in cardiovascular surgery that he fails to see that sometimes time can provide healing in ways surgery may actually complicate.  Dr. Knott-Craig encouraged me to have faith in him, in the nurses, in myself, in the Divine, and, most importantly, in our son.  Only later, did he confess to me he wasn’t sure our son would have survived his first year.  I never had the impression I wouldn’t be taking our son home one day in all those dark hours his first few months of life.  One last thing in my ode to Knott-Craig: he refuses to allow parents to feel helpless: he offers specific ways parents can assist in their child’s healing, even when said child is in a drug-induced coma, on the respirator, and being kept alive by other extraordinary measures.  Woe is the parent who doesn’t take his suggestions to heart.  Clearly, I adore the guy.
 

Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? Absolutely.

Do you have any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? Please be aware Children’s Hospital maintains a Parent Hotel on the 5^th floor – with beds for four, a small refrigerator and microwave, all for thirty dollars a day, or so.  However, these rooms fill up fast and are just for PICU and NICU patients.  Please make sure to make a reservation the first day your child is admitted into either one of these facilities. 

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Oklahoma City's Children's Hospital (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

What CHD does/did your child have? three heart chambers of which only two worked (AVSD, etc.) and a blood clotting issue

Where was your child's surgery done? Oklahoma City's Children's Hospital

Who did the surgery? Dr. Christopher Knott-Craig

What did you think of the hospital and staff? an amazing heart cath lab and the PICU nurses are the kindest, most dedicated people I know

What did you think of the surgeon? amazing and kind; is one of the heart surgeons who takes "last chance" cases; he gave us nothing but faith that we would be taking this baby home.

Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? yes

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Oklahoma City's Children's Hospital (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

What CHD does/did your child have? Criss-Cross Heart, Complex Double Outlet Right Ventricle, D- Transposition of the Great Arteries, Restrictive Patent Foramen Ovale, Hypo-plastic Left Ventricle, Large Ventricular Septal Defect, (2)Atrial Septal Defects, Sub-Pulmonary Stenosis, Hypo-plastic Right Pulmonary Artery, Hypo-plastic Left Pulmonary Artery, Right Aortic Arch with abnormal branching pattern, coronary artery anomalies and Severe Mitral Valve Stenosis with mitral valve hypoplasia

What was done to correct this CHD? Balloon Cardiac Cath; emergent atrial septectomy, division of aberrant left subclavian artery from main pulmonary artery, pulmonary artery banding, repair of transverse colon perforation, repair of inferior vena cava perforation, a laparotomy

Where was your child's surgery done? OU Medical Center, Children's Hospital, OK City, OK

Who did the surgery? Dr. Christopher Knott-Craig

When was the surgery done? 7-22-01

What did you think of the hospital and staff? The nurses were great and the hospital had a room we could stay in for about $25/night or so. (They do
get taken fast)

What did you think of the surgeon? Dr. Knott-Craig is the best doctor I have ever met in my life. He really treats you like a person and he treats
his patients with such care and uses words sensitively yet makes sure you understand. He treats his patients with love and not like some other
doctors who refer to their patients as their diagnosis. He is a great surgeon, who took on a very difficult tiny heart to treat and gave it his
all. I truly respect him.

Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? Surgeon, ABSOLUTELY.

Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? Please keep in mind, this is a "teaching" hospital. And you do have the right, if you so wish,
to not have "students" do the work of the doctors. I also went there when I was still pregnant to a high risk ob. He seemed to not have much faith
and didn't think our daughter would make it, the ped. cardiologist on the other hand gave an estimated 75% chance of survival. It was rather
confusing. Two doctors telling you two different things. After all is said and done, I may have my questions about the ped. cardiologist but NOT the
surgeon. If had to do all over again, I may have seen a different ped. card. maybe.... At some point, someone accidentally poked the central line
through my daughter's vein which in turn caused several complications, as it went unnoticed for some time. But I suppose accidents do happen everywhere.