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2 yrs. ago a cardiologist I had never met arranged a meeting with me after a heart catheterization showed I had mod.-severe mitral valve regurgitation(an ongoing thing for 20+ yrs.). He seemed desperate to find symptoms but I had none so he said "these things are best done if you don't have symptoms." He never mentioned my health only the need to operate. I asked "what will happen if I don't have the op?" Dr. "You MIGHT have trouble breathing in the future." When he saw my relief and was doubtful I'd do the op he lied to me after I said I wanted to clear up an upcoming eye surgery. Dr. "No one will touch you until you do this first." I was skeptical but believed him and set an appt. after he continued the pressure. I went home and found that the Mayo Clinic site stated "Do not(!) do this surgery unless you are in the SEVERE category. I found that advice elsewhere also and talked to a couple of nurses who also felt this op was premature and then I found out this doctor needed to up his numbers in a competitive situation with other hospitals. He went so far as to call me at home on a weekend but I stuck to the Mayo Clinic advice and refused. I never heard from again. Has anyone else been in this type of situation? My primary care doctor said I should sue for attempted malpractice but I didn't think that would succeed. Thoughts are appreciated!
Replies to "2 yrs. ago a cardiologist I had never met arranged a meeting with me after a..."
Hi @steve1077, that doctor does sound shady, a good one to avoid.
I'll share my experience with you as I elected to have a mitral valve repair before I had symptoms.
I had carpal tunnel syndrome and the examining physician heard a heart murmur so he scheduled an echocardiogram. It showed mitral valve prolapse with severe regurgitation. I never had any symptoms and would never have known anything was wrong.
My first cardiologist told me I needed to let him know when I became short of breath. A new one, whom I saw later, told me there were better outcomes when people had the surgery before they went into congestive heart failure. I had watched my mother die from congestive heart failure for mitral valve stenosis and it was heartbreaking. My husband also was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at the time my condition came to light.
I opted for the repair, while I could get it, vs. waiting until I needed a replacement. I got a ring and a clip. I was in the hospital for about two weeks with some complications, but I came out of it okay, five years ago. I'm glad I didn't put off the inevitable as now I'm fulltime caregiver to my husband and in 2020 I developed an autoimmune disorder, which would have complicated things had I not had the surgery when I did.
I just saw a new cardiologist for my annual checkup and he reiterated that outcomes are better with this procedure before people have symptoms.
You said your regurgitation is moderate. I can understand that you don't want unnecessary surgery, but it might be a good idea to monitor your condition so you know if you ever slide into "severe" regurgitation. Before I did have the surgery I think I had echocardiograms every six months.
All the Best!
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Call the American Medical Association and let them know. Also, check to see his credibility yourself online.