Tennessee Surgery Reviews
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your
child have? :: TGA, ASD, VSD, PS
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt children's hospital
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. David
Bichell
When was the surgery done? :: Sep 4 2007
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: They were excellent! Very
caring and willing to address any and all questions.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: What can I say, He is a Miracle Worker!!!
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: Definitly
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: They are the BEST!!!
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. David
Bichell
When was the surgery done? :: Norwood done on 08/30/07 and the Glenn done on
11/28/07
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: Wonderful
What did you think of the surgeon? :: Amazing
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: Absolutely
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: GO TO VANDERBILT
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: VSD, pulmonary Artesia
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. David
Bichell
When was the surgery done? :: Jan. 07 and July 07
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: Very Professional
What did you think of the surgeon? :: Wonderful - couldn't ask for better
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: definitely
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: wonderful facility &
surgeon. Makes my son's ongoing surgeries easier knowing the care we receive
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: Partial Pulmonary Venous Anomaly Return
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. David
Bichell
When was the surgery done? :: Dec 13 2006
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: The staff and the hospital were
wonderful.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: The surgeon was a gift sent from God. He
was very professional with my teenager like he was not a child even though he
was only 13.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: Yes
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: The facility and
surgeon were helpful, knowledgeable and took excellent care of my child and me
and the family.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. David
Bichell
When was the surgery done? :: Mar 5 2007
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: The hospital is patient &
family friendly from kid-sized everything to the family sleep rooms. The staff
(especially the PICU nurses who take care of all heart surgery babies) are
extremely knowledgeable.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: He was great.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: Yes.
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: Highly recommended!
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. David
Bichell
When was the surgery done? :: Mar 13 2007
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: The nurses before the surgery
(in the NICU) were excellent. They were very caring, answered questions, and did
everything they could to make us comfortable. However, the nurses in the PICU
after the surgery were not as compassionate as we would have liked. We were
terrified with a new baby with a heart transplant and they wouldn't answer our
concerns and seemed not to care that she was extremely fussy and something
seemed wrong. They could have been much more compassionate than they were. The
hospital was very good, however, in all the amenities and the decoration, etc.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: He was very good.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: Yes.
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? ::
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: Tetralogy of Fallot - Pulmonary Artery
Stenosis
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. David
Bichell
When was the surgery done? :: Apr 11 2007
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: The hospital was great. We had
a nurse in the PICU that was horrible though. She took out our daughter's
central line before we went to the floor. At that point, our daughter, who was 2
months old, had already been poked over 100 times. The doctors said that it was
fine to go to the floor with the central line, but the nurse, Rebecca (with red
hair), was insistent with removing it, because according to her, the nurses on
the other floors don't know how to take care of central lines. We found out
later that this was not true. We were not happy with her in the least bit.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: Dr. Bichell is the most kind,
gentle-hearted man that we have ever come across. Our daughter was only 2 months
old when her surgery was done. We were unaware of any problems before her 2
month well baby appt on Monday, April 9th and her surgery was on the 11th. It
was a very stressful time for our family, but Dr. Bichell was so kind in
explaining everything to us.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: In a heartbeat.
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: The facility is great
- especially if you have other children. There are many things for your other
children to do there. Just please, don't take the nurse's word for gold.
Question them, because they don't always do what they are supposed to. Dr.
Bichell is incredible.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: Pulmonary Artesia, VSD
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. David
Bichell
When was the surgery done? :: Jul 24 2007
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: wonderful
What did you think of the surgeon? :: Couldn't ask for better, very caring and
told us exactly what he would be doing.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: yes, for sure
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: I would recommend
this hospital and dr and his staff to anyone. They do remarkable work and are
wonderful caring people
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: pulmonary artesia with VSD
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt Children's
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. David
Bichell
When was the surgery done? :: Dec 6 2006
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: Very attentive in the ICU.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: We just switched surgeons and I was very
happy with him.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: Yes
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? ::
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. David
Bichell
When was the surgery done? :: Oct 11 2006
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: Overall, they are great...if
you stay too long you start seeing many errors, though. But they are human. We
had issues with a few of the nurses, but most we loved.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: Dr Bichell is the best doctor I've ever
met. He is modest and straight forward. He listens to all your questions,
encourages you to do research (and yes on the internet too), and takes time to
let you know he truly cares about your child and you
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: Most definitely
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: Get a map of the
area, it can be confusing. Also, bring an air mattress for the 6th floor when
you room in as the "bed" they have for parents is not very comfortable. :)
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: HLHS with ASD, leaky tricuspid valve and
Pulmonary Artery Stenosis
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at
Vanderbilt Nashville, TN
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. David
Bichell
When was the surgery done? :: Nov 8 2006
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: Excellent hospital & staff.
State-of-the art, We've had two open heart and numerous cardiac cauterizations
and we've been 100% satisfied with our care.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: The Best!! Very easy to talk to and you
can even email him and he answers back very quickly even with his very busy
schedule you never feel rushed when talking to him.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: YES 100%
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: Great choice you will
not be sorry!
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: double outlet right ventricle,
pulmonary stenosis, dextrocardia
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. David
Bichell
When was the surgery done? :: Nov 17 2006
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: they were great for most part
What did you think of the surgeon? :: he was great
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: yes
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: it is a great place
and Dr. Bichell was wonderful
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: AP window
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt children's
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. David Bichell
When was the surgery done? :: Aug 31 2006
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: Phenomenal! After receiving a misdiagnosis and unneeded surgery in our hometown, it was such a relief to encounter such a caring and knowledgeable staff at Vanderbilt. They had reviewed our medical records from our Dr's at home before we arrived and after a short examination, were able to pinpoint our child's condition within an hour of meeting us. The hospital is beautiful with all amenities thought of for those traveling from out of town.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: Dr Bichell is a wonderful surgeon who takes the time to explain all details of your child's condition and exactly what will be done to correct the problem. His bedside manner is great, as was all the staff we encountered.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: I hope we never have too, but most definitely would if needed!
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: If you are wanting reassurance about a diagnosis received elsewhere, I would definitely suggest contacting Vanderbilt for a second opinion. I'm still amazed by the talented Dr's they have on staff.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: Transposition of the Great Arteries
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. David
Bichell
When was the surgery done? :: Oct 10 2006
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: The hospital and the staff were
wonderful! It was nice to know that she had such great nurses and doctors caring
for her (and us) during this highly stressful time.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: He was wonderful. It was obvious that he
also took a personal interest in his patients. He was very easy to talk to and
explained her defect and surgery very well. He was very warm. His nurse Kelly
was also wonderful! She was very caring and made us feel very comfortable.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: absolutely
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: They were wonderful!
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: To close the
hole
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital,
Nashville, TN
Who did the surgery? :: Frank G.
Scholl
When was the surgery done? :: Mar 20 2006
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: Very professional and kind.
Thorough and caring.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: He is a professor. Very knowledgeable.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: Yes.
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: Premier hospital and
expert on OHS.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: TOF
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery? :: Frank G.
Scholl
When was the surgery done? :: Feb 25 2006
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: They are the BEST! They went
above and beyond the call.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: He was very nice and explained everything
to us fully.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: yes
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: They are very family
oriented and will help in every way possible.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: TGA
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery? :: Frank G. Scholl
When was the surgery done? :: May 23 2005
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: Vanderbilt was a wonderful hospital and they had a great staff working for them. I was very impressed and would not hesitate to go there again.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: Frank Scholl was a great surgeon. He did a wonderful job fixing our little one's heart, he had a terrific bedside manner, and he answered every question we had. He is a marvelous person to work with.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: Absolutely
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: Don't hesitate to go there. There was no time I was disgruntled with them because they stayed on top of things and were very professional and caring.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: Tetralogy of
Fallot
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery? ::
Dr. Karla Christian
When was the surgery done? :: May 24 2006
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: As most hospital stents, you
have your favorite nurses and techs. There were a few nurses in PICU that we
didn't get along with but overall the staff and doctors were very friendly and
helpful.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: She is amazing. A bit overwhelming and
doesn't smile, but she knows what she is doing.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: Absolutely!
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? ::
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? :: Tricuspid Artesia (Had Lateral Tunnel Fontan Procedure)
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. Karla Christian
When was the surgery done? :: Nov 1 2005
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: Excellent. The facilities are great. The individual rooms in the PCCU were great. Vanderbilt has a Cardiac POD, so during recovery on the "Floor", it was reassuring to know that the staff was dedicated to Cardiac kids. We received nothing but great treatment from the entire staff. They are busy, so they did their best to help as fast as they could.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: Excellent. Very caring. She is a mother and you can tell. She did an excellent surgery.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: in a heartbeat!!!
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: Don't be afraid to ask for help, it is a big facility. There are at least 4 places I can think of where a parent can just get away and think, relax. They offer all kinds of services, just ask!
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? Sub Aortic Stenosis
What was done to correct this CHD? Open Heart Surgery
Where was your child's surgery done? Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in
Nashville, TN
Who did the surgery?
Dr. Karla Christian
When was the surgery done? Oct. 14, 2003
What did you think of the hospital and staff? Excellent
What did you think of the surgeon? Loved her, she was direct and to the point
and answered all questions we had
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? definitely
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? Ask as many questions
as you feel you need to. We found all staff to be very helpful and caring.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did you child have? Aortic Stenosis and a defective mitral valve
What was done to correct this CHD? Aortic
Valvotomy (3 times) and a St. Jude's valve to replace the mitral valve.
Where was your child's surgery done?
Vandy
Who did the surgery? Dr.
Harvey Bender &
Dr. Karla Christian
When was the surgery done?
4/19/93 (1 day old), 18 months & 20 months
What did you think of the hospital and staff? It
was fine after we learned the system and learned to listen only to our
pediatric cardiologist or the surgeon and not to every other Dr. that
walked into the room. Nurses and interns were great. I would advise anyone
to get an itemized bill and go over it thoroughly. We were charged for Life
flight when we only used a special ambulance to go about 1/2 mile from the
hospital where my son was born. It took over a yr. to get that one straight.
What did you think of the surgeon? Both
were great. I liked Carla's more liberal attitude toward parent visitation
in PICU. She believed the child needed to be with parents as much as
possible. Dr. Smith the head of anesthesia back then was wonderful. I will
never forget him. I think he has since retired as has Dr. Bender.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon?
If this was the best possible
facility/surgeon for my child's condition.
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon?
I haven't been to their new facilities, but understand they are very
nice. We really felt as if they had a tendency to keep us in longer because
we had great insurance at the time. We were also glad that our pediatric
cardiologist was not employed by Vandy. He had worked there and had weekly
conferences with the surgeons and staff there, but also gave us another
professional opinion that filled us in on other options and opinions from
other Drs. around the country with no bias towards Vandy. I would also
advise anyone to take anything they tell you with a grain of salt. They
usually tell you worse case scenario. We had two Drs. come in and talk
transplant without consulting with our pediatric cardiologist or surgeon.
Our son is now 11 and has gone much longer than expected without even having
another surgery and nobody would ever guess that he has a heart problem.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did you child have? She had a large Atrial Septal Defect and
small Patent Ductus Arteriosus.
What was done to correct this CHD? She had open-heart surgery at 10 months
of age. A patch was made from her own heart tissue and placed over the large
ASD. It was left open 2 mm to allow for pressure release as she had
extremely high pulmonary pressures at the time of surgery. Also, she had a
coil closure on the PDA.
Where was your child's surgery done? At Vanderbilt University Hospital in
Nashville TN.
Who did the surgery?
Dr. Karla Christian
When was the surgery done? March 2003
What did you think of the hospital and staff? We had an excellent experience
at Vanderbilt. The surgeon and nursing staff as well as attending physicians
in P.I.C.U. were great. They also offered Family Life counselors to our
family for basic needs such as meals and housing provision.
What did you think of the surgeon? She was exceptional! We were actually
encouraged to have a secondary procedure performed (by our cardiologist)
during the open-heart surgery. We felt the procedure was too risky and
wouldn't really yield any useful information so we declined the extra
procedure. Dr. Christian was very supportive and respectful of our decision.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? YES. We continue to
see our cardiologist at Vanderbilt Hospital and wouldn't hesitate to have
our daughter's health needs met there.
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? I would definitely
suggest research online or in books before your procedure. It is helpful to
understand all the 'medical jargon'. Also, don't hesitate to ask questions
of the dr.'s at any point. It is very important that they explain all
benefits and side-effects of all surgical procedures. If the surgeon isn't
willing to provide that information then I'd suggest consulting another
surgeon. Also, Vanderbilt is a University (teaching) hospital so most often
a 'team' of dr.'s show up for check-up rounds w/your child. This can be
overwhelming. I often requested the "Attending" Physician speak to me OR
consult directly w/surgeon. You have the right to refuse medical students.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have?
VSD
Where was your child's surgery done? Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery? Dr. Karla Christian
When was the surgery done? December 2003
What did you think of the hospital and staff? They were all wonderful
and very caring to our 2 month old baby. We became attached to several
of the staff.
What did you think of the surgeon? She was very professional, caring
and one of the top female CT Surgeons in the United States. She is a
mother and that was displayed through her concern for our child.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? Yes, I highly
recommend her to anyone.
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? Our entire
experience with everyone at Vanderbilt was great. We were going through
a stressful time with our baby undergoing surgery and to have the support
of the staff there to help us through this time was wonderful. The care
they gave our son was top of the line. I highly recommend this
facility, surgeon and staff.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did you child have? Coarctation of the Aorta
What was done to correct this CHD? Surgery was performed on my child when she
was six days old. The procedure is called a coarctation repair.
Where was your child's surgery done? Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Who did the surgery? Dr.
Karla Christian
When was the surgery done? October 22, 2003
What did you think of the hospital and staff? Excellent. I have nothing but
praise, admiration, and gratitude for our team of experts. They kept us
informed and walked us through every step of the way.
What did you think of the
surgeon? Fantastic. She was extremely confident in her abilities to correct
my daughter’s heart defect. Her expertise made us feel confident. We were in
very good hands. And Karla is a mother herself, so she knows what it's like
from the parent's point of view.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? Absolutely. Without
question.
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? You will have the best
care. You will be in the best hands. If it can be fixed, they will fix it.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did you child have? VSD, sub-aortic stenosis
What was done to correct this CHD? VSD was closed, stenosis was cut
back
Where was your child's surgery done? Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Who did the surgery? Dr.
Karla Christian
When was the surgery done? 09/24/03
What did you think of the hospital and staff? very nice and helpful,
they treated us with the greatest care
What did you think of the
surgeon? excellent
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? yes
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? We would
strongly recommend anyone to use the facility and surgeon
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? Coarctation of the aorta; bicuspid aortic valve; aortic stenosis; patent ductus arteriosus
What was done to correct this CHD? The CoA was repaired with left subclavian
arterial flap and ligation of patent ductus arteriosus via poserolateral
thoracotomy.
Where was your child's surgery done? Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery?
Dr.
Karla Christian
When was the surgery done? March 9, 2005 (1 week old)
What did you think of the hospital and staff? After we learned not to take
absolutely everything said as what was going to happen things went well.
There are so many doctors coming and going you really need to make sure to
stay with your doctor to know what is going on. The nurses and attendings
were very helpful and happy to answer any questions we had.
What did you think of the surgeon? Karla was very open and willing to answer
any questions for us.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? definitely
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? Don't be afraid to ask questions. Make sure to get the layout of the hospital. It's huge and there are some places you should make sure to find right off. The food court area is on the second floor. The bridge from the parking garage is on the second floor also. Most of your resources are on the second floor. Ronald McDonald hospitality room is on the 5th floor.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did you child have? Transposition of major arteries
What was done to correct this CHD? Surgery after birth
Where was your child's surgery done? Vanderbilt, Nashville TN
Who did the surgery?
Dr. Davis
Drinkwater
What did you think of the hospital and staff? Dr. Drinkwater his assistant,
Kelly and the other Surgeons were great. Not so good experience with nurses or
Doctors post -op. Accommodations were not good. However, Vandy has a new
Children's hospital and I have heard it is much improved.
What did you think of the surgeon? Excellent!
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? Yes
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? Your experience at
Children’s should be much improved because of the new facilities. Please
contact me if you would like to talk or simply wants someone to listen. Someone
who knows what you are going through.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? Transposition of the great arteries (TGA)
What was done to correct this CHD? arterial switch procedure
Where was your child's surgery done? Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery? Dr. Davis Drinkwater
When was the surgery done? February 12, 2004.
What did you think of the hospital and staff? very informative, encouraging, and supportive
What did you think of the surgeon? very knowledgeable and skilled
Would you take you child back to this facility/surgeon? yes
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? it was a great place to be with this kind of problem
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? transposition of great vessels (TGV)
What was done to correct this CHD? "Switch"
Where was your child's surgery done? Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery? Dr. Davis Drinkwater
When was the surgery done? 11/07/03
What did you think of the hospital and staff? excellent - very knowledgeable
What did you think of the surgeon? excellent - staff were very helpful in answering all questions and making us feel more at ease about his particular condition and taking him home.
Would you take you child back to this facility/surgeon? yes
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? very recommendable, from other advise we were give I would not have had any other surgeon perform the surgery.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD
does/did you child have? Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
What was done to correct this CHD? we chose the 3 stage repair
Where was your child's surgery done? Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery?
Dr. Davis
Drinkwater
When was the surgery done? 3 days, 6 months, and 4 years.
What did you think of the hospital and staff? PHENOMENAL!!!!
What did you think of the surgeon? I wouldn't entrust my son to anyone else!!!
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? ABSOLUTELY
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? We had really nothing
but good experiences here despite the trauma that we were facing as a family. I
would recommend this place to any one, and thanks to God and the wonderful staff
at Vanderbilt my son is almost 6!!!!
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? Tetralogy of Fallot with AV canal-type ventricular septal defect, Left aortic arch, Hypoplastic rudimentary main and proximal branch pulmonary arteries with the right larger than the left, Large collateral vessel to the right lung, which does not have any obvious connection to the native right pulmonary artery, Large collateral vessel to the left lung, with early branching supplying the left lower lobe and distal branching to the left upper lobe, as well as patent connection to the true left pulmonary artery.
What was done to correct this CHD? Will take many surgeries to make a complete repair, but as of now a BT shunt was put in and some of the small collateral vessels on the left side were blocked off and the larger ones connected to the true pulmonary artery.
Where was your child's surgery done? Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, Nashville, TN.
Who did the surgery? Dr. Davis Drinkwater
When was the surgery done? February 2, 2004.
What did you think of the hospital and staff? They are all WONDERFUL people!!!
What did you think of the surgeon? Very informative and caring.
Would you take you child back to this facility/surgeon? ABSOLUTELY!!!!
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? The staff at Vanderbilt are very caring and compassionate. The surgeons at Vandy know what to do and will answer any questions you may have.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS)
What/When was done to correct this CHD? Stage 1-Norwood (July 1999), Stage
2-Glenn (November 1999), Stage 3- Fontan (April 2003)
Where was your child's surgery done? Vanderbilt
Who did the surgery?
Dr. Davis
Drinkwater
What did you think of the hospital and staff? I liked it all pretty well
What did you think of the surgeon? No sense of humor but very nice and concerned
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? yes
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? I recommend this
hospital and staff
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? Transposition of the major arteries
What was done to correct this CHD? Surgically transpose the arteries
Where was your child's surgery done? Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN
Who did the surgery?
Dr. Davis
Drinkwater
When was the surgery done? November 12, 2002
What did you think of the hospital and staff? Very impressed with everyone and
everything except the 6th floor after surgery. Staff was unorganized,
not prepared. Check out was difficult. We did not know what to expect or what
our goals were to get our child ready to go home.
What did you think of the surgeon? We thought Dr. Drinkwater was excellent.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? Yes
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? Tetralogy of Fallot
What was done to correct this CHD? Surgery - repair
Where was your child's surgery done? Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital
Who did the surgery?
Dr. Davis
Drinkwater
When was the surgery done? December 2000
What did you think of the hospital and staff? Wonderful, nothing but praise for
everyone we came in contact with at Vandy.
What did you think of the surgeon? He was wonderful – answered any and all
questions. Reasonably available.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? Absolutely
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? The Ronald McDonald
House in Nashville is tops.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What CHD does/did your child have? Transposition of the major vessels; 2 VSDs; Pulmonary Stenosis; PDA did not close
What was done to correct this CHD? (1) Atrial septostomy; (2) Blalock-Hanlon septertomy; (3) modified Rastelli with Lecompte (4) G-tube placement for failure
to thrive (5) heart transplant
Where was your child's surgery done? All but surgery #3 Vanderbilt, Nashville,
TN; surgery 3 was done by Dr. Bove at the University of Michigan
Who did the surgery? (1)
Dr. Davis
Drinkwater; (2)
Dr. Frank Fish; (3)
Dr. Bove (U of M);
(4)
Dr.
Wallace Neblett; (5)
Dr. Davis
Drinkwater
When was the surgery done? (1) November 1999 at 3 weeks of age; (2) December
1999 at 2 months of age; (3) July 2000 at 9 months of age; (4) March 2000 at 5
months of age; (5) July 2001 at 20 months of age
What did you think of the hospital and staff? #1, #2, #4, #5 – very good, social
services could be better, RMH excellent, PICU staff was awesome but not a good
surgery waiting area; #3 very good – RMH good and PICU good
What did you think of the surgeon? #1, #2, #4, #5 – Good mechanics, fair bedside
manner; #3 excellent all around, great reports given during surgery – personal,
not telephone, terrific bedside and follow-up, amazing surgeon, very difficult
surgery
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? Absolutely to both
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
What
CHD does/did your child have? :: TOF
Where was your child's surgery done? :: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Who did the surgery? ::
Dr. Davis
Drinkwater
When was the surgery done? :: Jun 6 2004
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: Overall, everyone was great, we
had a few problems getting help on the 6th floor after surgery.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: He was great, if we every need surgery
again, I would go to him.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: Yes
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: The children's
hospital is set for families and makes it much easier to stay with your baby.
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University of Tennessee Medical Center (Knoxville, TN)
What
CHD does/did your child have? :: pulmonary valve fusion and stenosis
Where was your child's surgery done? :: University of Tennessee
Who did the surgery? :: Dr. Mack
When was the surgery done? :: Mar 1 2007
What did you think of the hospital and staff? :: Glad we had the option of doing
the surgery in town. The NICU at UT could improve its communication between
nurses, perinatologists and clients. The system is not well oiled yet. We felt
our son's recovery was hampered by the lack of communication and organization at
the UT system. However, the skill of the skill of the physicians out weigh the
negatives on the hospital side. The new rooms were incredible and very cushy.
What did you think of the surgeon? :: Dr. Mack was wonderful and we felt our
child was in the best hands. Dr. Mack's surgical skill is unmatched in this
region.
Would you take your child back to this facility/surgeon? :: yes
Any advice for others looking at this facility/surgeon? :: Dr. Mack saved our
child's life. Need I say more.