Personal experience. How is the heart surgery in the US

Let me make a reservation right away that I am not a doctor and I have absolutely no idea how the same operations are carried out in our country - perhaps in exactly the same way. But I was struck to the core by the fact that the heart surgery took place in the morning, and the next morning he was already at home! If you are interested in how operations are carried out in an American cardiology clinic, I’ll tell you about this today.

Фото: Depositphotos

We discovered a congenital heart defect quite by accident - during a routine ultrasound examination at a local railway clinic about 5 years ago. A young doctor quickly wielding a scanner on her husband’s chest, like a grandmaster with a queen on a chessboard, asked:

- Your heart never bothered you?

- Probably not

- And nobody told you that you have a hole between the atria with a diameter of a finger?

- Not. And now what i can do?

- Well, it would be good to close it. And do not delay with this.

The diagnosis was so unexpected that 3’s husband went to other doctors once to confirm it. Older doctors, wise with experience, wrinkled their noses and did not find anything, and only the third, not very pleasant procedure confirmed the verdict of the young “seer”. The conclusion was provided with photos and illegible writing in the secret medical-Russian language.

Cardiology clinic in Boston - first acquaintance

When my husband told his doctor in the United States about his diagnosis, he immediately referred him to a cardiologist at the Boston Heart Center. The next morning we were already there. The center turned out to be a large monumental building with a bright hall and looked more like a bank - a bank of hearts. The building inside turned out to be so large that we had difficulty figuring out the navigation to get to the right department.

At the registration desk, only a driver's license was demanded (they replace a passport in the USA) and an insurance card, after which the husband was sent to the examination room.

Фото: Depositphotos

Before each appointment with a doctor, the patient undergoes a preliminary examination by junior medical staff. The polite Latina quickly measured her husband’s temperature, blood pressure, pulse, asked how he was feeling, and conducted a general examination—all of which took no more than ten minutes. The sister entered all the data into the computer and, asking me to wait here, left.

The doctor came with an intern

Фото: Depositphotos

The tall, stately cardiologist, who somehow reminded the actor Edward Norton, came in with a young intern girl, introduced himself and introduced a colleague. He listened to the story of her husband, asked questions and at the same time suggested to his student what nuances to pay attention to. The Slavic accent of the doctor said that he brought his Polish surname with four consonants in a row to the States not so long ago. Seeing that the documents brought by her husband were written in a secret Russian medical language, the doctor didn’t get embarrassed and quickly looked at them under surprised eyes of the intern, said that he understood everything and sent her husband to scan.

The diagnosis was confirmed quickly

An American nurse girl in beautiful green uniforms found the problem quickly, because she had at her disposal modern equipment and she knew what to look for. Immediately I remembered her colleague in the Soviet smock from the native railway hospital, which in 3 minutes found a defect in the antediluvian equipment. What is she doing with her talent now? Did he allow her a decent life? May God give her health and happiness!

The doctor explained the results in detail and answered all the questions.

When the scan was completed and the diagnosis was confirmed, the husband again met with the doctor. The doctor scrolled in front of her husband a video of a scan of his heart, explained in detail what moving multi-colored spots mean on the screen, where there is a flow in the heart that should not exist, and answered all the questions. He was in no hurry, and it was felt that he would find as much time and patience as would be needed in order to dispel all doubts and eliminate misunderstanding, as if he came to the report to the president.

About the operation in detail

After a detailed description of the problem, the doctor proposed a solution:

• The operation will be easy for you. No autopsy of the chest and months of recovery. Through a large artery on the leg, we will introduce special devices into the heart. First, we precisely measure the opening, which we will close, and close it with the second one. Everything we are going to see on the screen and write for you. If you want, you can see everything in the records in detail.
• Are there any physical limitations after surgery?
• No.
• So I can return to the gym the next day?
• You must! Do not change anything in the level of your physical activity!

The doctor advised to check with the dentist and deal with the stuffy nose before the procedure, since any surgical intervention after heart surgery is undesirable for six months, and agreed on the date of the operation.

For surgery light

Of course, we didn’t bring anything to the hospital - everything is there, everything will be organized for you and the insurance will pay for it all. Therefore, the only instructions before the operation concerned nutrition: you could not eat anything in order for the anesthesia to work properly. The husband arrived at the appointed time lightly, in a comfortable tracksuit, filled out the necessary papers, and they began to prepare him for the meeting with the anesthesiologist.

Anesthesiologist - a separate doctor

The anesthesiologist turned out to be a young guy from South Africa with a characteristic English accent. He joked and smiled as he filled out his questionnaire and took his measurements. A caring older nurse, meanwhile, deftly inserted an IV needle into a vein in her arm and secured it with a bandage. The doctor went through the questionnaire with my husband, told him what could go wrong, but then added: “Yes, everything will be fine - only my throat will be a little sore due to intubation,” and gave me more papers to sign. The fact is that American doctors must tell patients about all the risks, even minor ones, before procedures. After the husband said that he was ready, the anesthesiologist smiled, said to count to ten, opened the IV - and the husband fell into the darkness.

Фото: Depositphotos

After operation

Waking up a few hours later that morning, the husband was surprised to find that all he felt was a slight pain in his leg at the site where the device was inserted, and a sore throat from intubation, as the anesthesiologist had promised.

When he was brought to the ward, he was a bit sleepy, but funny. There was no one else in the big chamber. Insurance covered the day in the ward after surgery. And the doctor decided to hold him until the morning, and the husband said: fine, I just wanted to try the local food.

After another couple of hours, he was already free to go and ordered his lunch by phone from the colorful menu. The night in the hospital passed without incident, the temperature did not rise, and the next morning he was allowed to go home. The doctor said that the operation went well and they will meet in a week at a scheduled examination.

The piece that was inserted into the heart of the husband has its own number. My husband was given a plastic card with the number and characteristics of this item and told to carry it everywhere with him. It may be necessary, for example, when passing a scan at airports.

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