Kathleen's Posts

Hi Kathleen, I’m in the area and can highly recommend Dr. Luis Castro at Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City. I talked to several surgeons at UCSF and at PAMF, and Dr. Castro was the only one I would trust with my heart. I had exactly the same diagnosis as you do and they specialize in valve surgery at Sequoia. They are a small and personal hospital as well so it might be worth a look! Best of luck! P.S. Dr. Castro is the highest rated surgeon on the site so you can check out what others say.

Happy to share! I had surgery on August 6, 2018, so it has been a little over a year. I chose a tissue valve. It was a hard decision to make but I decided that I didn’t want to be on blood thinners or to hear my heart beat with a mechanical valve! If I were doing it now, I would ask about the new tissue valve that is supposed to last longer. Check it out. https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/heart-surgery-blog/2018/08/09/inspiris-resilia-fda-approval/

Kathleen, I also live in the JM service area, however when I looked at statistics as I was determining where to have my surgery, I found that Sequoia Hospital and Dr. Luis Castro have been doing valve surgeries much longer than JM and they have phenomenal results! Nothing against Dr. Veergandum, but I agree that Dr. Castro is the best. I had Mitral Valve Repair 9/28/16 and just had my 3 year post-op ECHO. My heart continues to get back to normal, I feel better than I had for years, and am SO PLEASED at my results. I am a physician and I was so impressed with my care at Sequoia. I highly recommend the hospital, Dr. Castro, and his team!