Dr. Victor F. Garcia

Dr, Victor Garcia did an amazing job with our daughters surgery. I can't say enough about Dr. Garcia and his team. We were so impressed with his reviews on this site that we decided to contact him for a second opinion after our we had seen one surgeon. We knew after a fair amount of research that if we decided to have the procedure done, we wanted someone special to perform the surgery that had a lot of experience with more severe Pectus cases. We were initially told her Haller Index was a 12.. As a reviewer said below, Dr. Garcia contacted me almost immediately, like within 10 mins, of my initial email to say he would be happy to take a look at our daughter for a second opinion. HIs team contacted me the next day and was able to see us that very same weekend. It all seemed just right from the beginning but we were not convinced she should undergo the surgery until we met with Dr. Garcia. The experience we had with him was so different from our initial visit with the first surgeon. Dr. Garcia spent so much time with us explaining her Pectus and his philosophy on her repair. He had a couple of patients in the clinic that day that he actually introduced us to. We were able to speak to them and I spoke at length with a parent that day. He also gave me the name of a parent that traveled to have the surgery done so I could ask further questions about travel since we did have quite a drive to have this procedure done. Back to the difference in our initial experience, The surgeon we saw initially said he couldn't let us talk to any of the patients that had the procedure done because everyone was different and I wouldn't be able to get good information from doing that. That was a key indicator that we needed a surgeon we could not only find references on but also trust.
Dr. Garcia spent so much time with us on that visit . He answered every question we had at length. He gave us plenty of space and time to make a good decision about if and when we would have the repair done. His team was amazing as well. They communicated so well every step of the way. We never felt ignored or put off with any questions we asked before, during or after. The hospital did a great job accommodating all of our family. They made sure our concerns were addressed whe we had them and there was always a team of people caring for our daughter even though it was a holiday. Every staff member we spoke to before, during and after raves about how wonderful Dr. Garcia is. It is not only his patients that admire him and his work.
In summary, Dr. Garcia is excellent and his team is excellent in every way! Not only is he an excellent surgeon but he is an excellent communicator. As stated in another review, I highly recommend that you do your research on Pectus before you decide who should perform the procedure. We knew the minute we met Dr. Garcia and his team that this was the right place and the right team to care for our daughter. He and his team are excellent in every way!

Dr. Victor Garcia was amazing. He not only tells you the truth about the surgery he tells you what the kids will experience and go through after the surgery. He explained it is one of the most painful surgeries and which day is the worst for pain. He explained the child will go through buyers remorse but will eventually be glad they did it once the pain is gone. As far as the ratings go the part that says ease or correspondence with doctor I would give him a 20 out of 10. I emailed a nurse at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital with a question about my sons condition and she sent it to Dr. Garcia and literally 10 minutes after I sent the email he called me at work. Then he asked me if he was getting me at a bad time. I was floored. What doctor has ever done that. He emails you back right away and treats everyone in the family with respect. I am so grateful he was my sons surgeon. I can't say enough about Dr. Victor Garcia! He is the best.

We took Sam to Dr. Garcia in Cincinnati, although we live in the Louisville, KY area. Our research made us believe that Dr. Garcia and the experienced team at Cincinnati Children's Hospital were the best choice for our son. Sam's heart ultra sound confirmed that his Pectus Excavatum was compressing and displacing his heart. His pulmonary function was also being affected. These test results helped us realize why he had gradually lost interest in playing tennis! He was out of breath and energy!
The thought of a stranger placing bars in your child's chest wall is something that will keep you up at night. As the mom of a kid who needed this procedure...to change his life for the better (or in his words, "to fix my chest forever"), I strongly recommend you do your research: read up on Pectus Excavatum, Nuss vs Ravitch, surgeon experience, post-operative pain management, nurses who are caring for your child post-operatively have experience in this area? --and don't ignore the most important thing...your instincts when you meet with these specialists! For us, Dr. Garcia's ability to immediately make a connection with Sam was impressive. Plus the fact that we encountered pure professionalism, and sincere caring from every person with whom we came into contact at Cincinnati Children's Hospital! Sam is now 90+days post-op, and is doing very well. The first 2 weeks were rough -- set your expectations for that. This is a major recovery and it takes some time to feel better. But at about the 2 week mark, Sam saw a big difference --- just like Dr. Garcia predicted. Our experience with Dr. Garcia and the entire PEX team at CCHMC has been wonderful. If you have PEX, I strongly recommend researching this team of experts and meeting him/them personally before making your final decision about where to go. Experience, expertise and compassion matter!