Mark Leo Ryan

Nobody ever wants their child to need a surgical procedure, but Dr. Ryan did a remarkable job throughout the entire process. It was easy getting scheduled once our pediatrician told us we needed to see the pectus clinic. A simple phone call and my 13 year old daughter was on the schedule for a week later. Dr. Ryan and his pectus coordinator Cheryl took extra care to protect my daughter's privacy and her modesty - as it can feel different for a girl to go through this than a boy. That mattered greatly to my daughter and we appreciated the care shown in that regard!

During the exam, he measured her pectus excavatum and told us that he felt she probably had moderate pectus excavatum. He asked about her symptoms, which were chest pain, shortness of breath and fatigue with exercise. He explained everything in great detail and talked about surgery options. He and Cheryl explained that the Haller Index had to be a certain point for insurance to approve and Cheryl made sure to note everything in case she needed to appeal to insurance. We were given a plan, which included a pulmonary function test, a cardiologist visit with an echo and EKG, metal allergy testing (a consult plus three visits), and a chest CT to measure her Haller Index.

Her HI came back sufficient enough for surgery (and it was, indeed, moderate to severe), although our insurance denied it anyway. Without any effort on my part, a peer to peer review was done by Dr. Ryan and insurance approved. We moved forward with scheduling and ordered her bar (titanium due to a metal allergy). We had plenty of information given to us at the pre-op visit and again the morning of surgery.

The communication between us and Dr. Ryan's office was fantastic. I couldn't have asked for better. Throughout the hospital stay, Dr. Ryan's office checked on my daughter multiple times a day and one of his partners checked on us when Dr. Ryan was unavailable. I have never had such well-coordinated, well-informed care. I was sent home with every med that we needed for her and a folder with every question I could have had already answered.

Our hospital stay was two nights. She had a patient controlled pain control device for around 24 hours which kept her as pain-free as possible. She has a thoroughly organized plan for home pain control. We were taught how to use the restroom, how to shower, how to get clothes on and off, how to stand up and lay down - basically how to do everything. We were shown photos of what to look for in terms of bar flipping. Also, Dr. Ryan uses cryotherapy during surgery to minimize pain. This seems to really work! Our hospital stay was two nights, three days. She probably could have come home after one night, but she felt some anxiety about it and was more comfortable with another night.

I have already personally recommended Dr. Ryan and his office to two other friends whose kids have pectus excavatum.