If you or a loved one has been told “surgery” is required or “surgery is the only option,” please call Black Hills Heart and Vascular to schedule an urgent appointment. Most cardiovascular problems can be solved without invasive surgery. Doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants often tell patients one of the following:

1. “You need heart surgery.”
2. “That blockage can’t be opened with a stent, you need surgery.”
3. “A doctor tried to open the blockage and couldn’t. You need surgery now.”
4. “You have multiple blockages and need surgery soon.”
5. “We can’t open your leg blockages, you need surgery.”
6. “You have an aneurysm and need surgery.”
7. “That blockage has been closed for years, it doesn’t need to be opened.”
8. “You have collaterals, the blockage doesn’t need to be opened.”
9. “You are too high risk, nothing can be done.”
10. “Your leg needs to be amputated.”

Making decisions about healthcare can be very challenging. For some patients, higher-risk surgical procedures may be the only option. But at Black Hills Heart and Vascular Institute, our team of cardiologists and vascular surgeons with additional training in complex disease can usually offer minimally invasive treatment options that have lower rates of stroke, death, infection, abnormal heart rhythms, and much shorter hospital stays.

For example, in one of the largest clinical trials comparing open-heart surgery to stenting (EXCEL trial, 2016), up to 80% of patients sent for open-heart surgery were incorrectly diagnosed with “3-vessel disease.” Most patients had 1 or 2 vessel disease and did not significantly benefit from higher-risk surgery.

If you come to Black Hills Heart and Vascular for a second opinion, we may tell you surgery is the best option. We may also offer less invasive options that will get you back to normal life much faster. No matter what, we promise to give you an opinion based on facts and clinical data, not ego. Our goal is to explain the best options going forward to improve patient care and quality of life. Ultimately, we understand patients want to feel better quickly!

To schedule a visit or case review, please call (605) 503-8192 and inform the scheduler you are looking for a second opinion.