AlessandraZoe

My mother (83) will be going with us to Charlotte NC to visit our daughter over Christmas. She is due for heart valve surgery at the end of January. She is doing fine at the present (she is on Lasix), but I do worry she might get into medical trouble while we are down there.

If something goes wrong, WHERE should we take her in an emergency? I know that in my city, we have 10 hospitals within a ten-mile radius, but I would only recommend one for this precise situation. So is there one in Charlotte that you would think is the "go to" hospital for cardiac care????

We will be staying at the Hyatt City Center.

Thank you so very much.
AZ

Gretchen

You would go to the Carolinas Medical Center.

Gretchen

It is probably 5 minutes from downtown, and is one of the premier hospitals in the country, and a pioneer in heart surgery.

Dukey1

Does she have a medical record? Can you take it with you?

Dukey1

The reason i ask is simple: if she "gets into trouble" and given the cardiac history one of the first things that will probably be done is an EKG. It would be helpful if the folks doing that EKG had a copy of her most recent one so they could see what, if any changes might have occurred.

Of course a lot depends on the symptoms she may be exhibiting. It is not absolutely necessary for you to have the records available and I really wouldn't go through a lot of hoops to get it, either.

If she is taking her prescribed meds and is in stable enough condition that she can wait until after she returns to have the cardiac surgery and I assume there has been no travel restriction then you should be OK I would think.

Anything can happen and at any time. The best thing you can do is get her to an appropriate facility..in fact that's really ALL you can probably do.

And here's another thing: what will you do if something happens suddenly? Are you going to call 911 or take her to an ER yourself? If you call 911 they probably aren't going to go to any "requested" location but rather would go to the nearest appropriate facility.

Gretchen

Which would be CMC. BUT if they go to Presbyterian, it is fine also. We have incredible medical care in Charlotte.

AlessandraZoe

Thanks for the info. I have been online looking up "best" in terms of medicals centers and there's a lot of confusing info. So Carolinas Medical it is.

And in the eventuality that anything happens, we're insisting that's where she goes, either ambulance or taxi.

As to heart surgery, that's actually what I want to avoid until she gets home. That's why I want her to go to a good center that understands that stabilization is the key. Again, she's feeling pretty spiffy right now.

She has just completed all tests--TEE, EKG, two CT scans, even dental stuff--to get the show on the road in January. She will have the operation by an internationally ranked surgeon who has invented this microsurgery valve replacement technique, so I don't want Mr. I Think I Can Fix This taking a shot at her.

I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE RESPONSES!
AZ

Brian_in_Charlotte

I agree - Carolina's Medical Center (main campus in Dilworth neighborhood at 1000 Blythe Blvd). Don't confuse with CMC-Mercy in the Elizabeth neighborhood next to Presbyterian Hospital.

Gretchen

Actually, just to allay your fears, OUR "Mr. I think I can fix it" would be a pretty good bet. ;o) I hope she will be just fine, but don't every say never.

Ackislander

When my nephew was only a few hours old, he was air-evacuated to Charlotte from another city for repair of a critical congenital heart problem. He is now a businessman and father of two healthy boys of his own. Charlotte has fantastic cardiac emergency care. And I don't even like Charlotte!

Dukey1

Good luck on insisting to an ambulance crew that they bypass one qualified facility because you want them to go elsewhere...ain't gonna happen.

Gretchen

Oh, you ought to give us another chance!! ;O)

mztery

With all due respect if your mother has heart symptoms, do NOT go to the hospital in a taxi! That's what ambulances are for. They have EMT's who can stabilize the situation better than a random taxi drive - those minutes may well be critical.
If this is so important maybe your daughter should come visit you this year.

janisj

Hopefully there won't be any issues she will be just fine.

But sorry, you really can't dictate where EMTs take a patient. They will be cleared to transport to the nearest facility that has a bed available in the ER. Not your choice in a cardiac care situation.

In any case - don't even think of taking a taxi.

Hopefully there won't be any issues she will be just fine.

gail

The "best" hospital for a cardiac emergency is the closest qualified one with adequate facilities and staff - and that is the one the EMTs must take her to, regardless of your insistence and research. A taxi will take you anywhere you want - but I would suggest an ambulance in an emergency. People get stabilized at Hospital A and then transferred to Hospital B all the time.

In an evolving deterioration of her heart, obviously you should have a conversation with her current cardiologist about early signs/warnings that she will need surgery in Charlotte or need to return home.

I suggest you avoid calling any professional "Mr I Think I Can Fix This" - especially if they are female. And hopefully the person doing the heart surgery will be a Dr. and not a Mr.

If she has an event or deterioration while in Charlotte, don't count on being able to transport her back to wherever she lives - that may be considered too risky and really, really don't count on getting an ambulance to transport her unless you were one of the recent lottery big winners. Insurance will not pay for that.

You sound like a good pre-planner, so hopefully you will get all the pieces into place for the trip, and instead will have a nice Christmas and a successful January surgery.

Tomsd

My Q: Should she really be going on this trip?

Gretchen

I would be pretty sure if the surgery is basically elective and scheduled for a month ahead, travel is not a no no. I doubt the woman's doctor has been left out of the planning loop.
I can ONLY assure you that within a 5 minute ambulance ride of downtown there are two major trauma hospitals where the care is exemplary.

Gretchen

OH, and wait. NO NO NO to the taxi--in Charlotte. I don't even like to take them to the airport!! They may not even know where the hospitals are!!

lincasanova

Definitely 911 and not Charlotte Taxi if you see a warning sign.

Have a wonderful holiday and I hope none of this excellent referral information gets used by you on this trip!

AlessandraZoe

Just wanted to follow up and say thank you.

You were right, Gretchen. The surgery is elective, so she was allowed to travel. I don't know if I would be able to have the guts to go ahead with the operation, quite frankly, but Mom has decided the slow death of a leaking mitral valve is not an option. She's going for it.

And she wanted to go at Christmas with us because at least the strange hotel bed wasn't a hospital bed. Of course, one other advantage is that she had all of us with her. At home, she enjoys independent living, so she actually walks more of a tightrope with her regular schedule than with her travel with us.

Anyway, back to how I used your input.
As soon as I checked into our hotel, I told the front desk that
a) Mom was OK for now but
b) I needed to make sure she was taken to the RIGHT place if we had any difficulties and that
c) You all had told me Carolina's Medical but that an ambulance would not necessarily offer us the choice

The manager said, "Give me the details right now." She wrote my mother's name, room, etc down on a large sheet of paper, posted right above their desk phone. Then she said, "I can make sure she gets to the right place--it's what WE do."

Mom really enjoyed Charlotte, and she saw why we always say it's simply a stunning city. Her favorite thing of the trip? The Leonard Bearstein Teddy Bear Orchestra at BOFA. She asked to return there again and again.

Thank you all again.