Is open surgery clearly indicated?
See which symptoms, test findings, anatomy, and guideline considerations support the proposed operation—and which facts deserve another look.
Your Incision Should Be Your Decision™
Open-heart surgery second opinion
Before open-heart surgery, understand why an open operation was proposed.
For U.S. patients and families told heart surgery is needed: a cardiac surgeon and cardiologist review the proposed operation online and co-sign one written opinion.
Choose your path: Compare and purchase securely online, or answer a few questions if you are still deciding. No referral or call is required to purchase.
- 2
- independent physician reviews
- 1
- co-signed written report
- 24 hr
- only after all required records and imaging are received and confirmed complete
Four one-time service levels range from $495 to $2,495. Every package includes both physician reviews and the co-signed written report; live physician access changes by level. No referral or travel is required.
Do not delay urgent or time-sensitive treatment while waiting for WHITEGLOVEMD. If you may be experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.
YOUR CASE · ORGANIZED
One proposed open operation.
Four decision checks.
- 01IndicationWhy this operation, and why now?
- 02AlternativesWhat else reasonably fits this case?
- 03RiskWhat do the numbers mean for you?
- 04FitIs this the right team and setting?
Open surgery may be right. The useful question is whether the record makes the reasoning—and the alternatives—clear.
View packages & pricingA decision—not a generic answer
Four questions worth answering before the first incision.
Open-heart surgery may be exactly the right path. The purpose of a second opinion is to test the reasoning, surface reasonable alternatives, and make the tradeoffs understandable before you consent.
Could another approach be reasonable?
Compare open surgery with minimally invasive, catheter-based, medical, or monitoring paths when those approaches are actually relevant to your individual case.
What does risk look like for me?
Place a procedure-appropriate surgical risk estimate beside your age, kidney and lung function, frailty, prior procedures, and the limitations a score cannot fully capture when that model applies.
Are the surgeon and center the right fit?
Consider procedure-specific experience, public outcomes when available, case complexity, geography, and the practical path to the right hands.
Open-heart surgery is an approach—not one diagnosis
The operation label is only the beginning.
“Open-heart surgery” can describe very different procedures, evidence, risks, and alternatives. Your review is built around the operation actually proposed—not a generic explanation of cardiac surgery.
Coronary bypass surgery (CABG)
Clarify why bypass was proposed, which vessels and targets matter, and whether catheter-based treatment or medical therapy belongs in the discussion.
Explore this decisionOpen aortic valve surgery
Understand why SAVR was proposed and when TAVR may—or may not—fit the anatomy, age, life expectancy, concomitant disease, and lifetime valve strategy.
Explore this decisionOpen mitral valve surgery
Clarify repair versus replacement, the proposed surgical access, and whether a transcatheter path such as TEER is relevant to the valve mechanism, anatomy, and risk setting.
Explore this decisionAortic surgery
Review size, growth, anatomy, symptoms, operative threshold, proposed extent of repair, and the experience needed for a complex aortic operation.
Explore this decisionCombined or repeat operations
Ask whether multiple procedures belong in one operation, what each adds, and whether reoperative complexity changes the safest approach or setting.
Explore this decisionWHITEGLOVE Insights™
Every page should move your decision forward.
Your report is built from the required records and imaging, reviewed by both physicians, and designed for the next conversation with the clinicians who will provide your care.
See the sample report Meet the physicians and verify credentialsThe plan already proposed
Your diagnoses, relevant history, test findings, and treating team’s plan—organized clearly and attributed to the source record.
Two independent perspectives
A cardiac surgeon and cardiologist independently review the same required records and imaging, confer, and co-sign one patient-facing report.
Guideline-mapped reasoning
The proposed operation is placed beside current cardiovascular guidelines and the case details that make those guidelines relevant.
Surgical risk in context
The current procedure-appropriate STS ACSD estimate is considered when applicable, with documented inputs and model limitations made visible.
Your anatomy—not generic anatomy
Clinical findings and imaging are translated into clear explanations tied to the operation and decision in front of you.
Options, benefits, and tradeoffs
Reasonable open, minimally invasive, catheter-based, medical, and monitoring paths are compared only when they fit your case.
What may still be missing
Incomplete testing, unresolved questions, and additional studies to consider with your treating team are called out.
Surgeon, center, and next steps
Procedure-specific fit, practical access, questions to ask, and a concise plan for your next conversation.
The comparison this page is built for
Open surgery versus what else may reasonably fit.
The report does not assume that a less-invasive path is better—or even available. It makes the case-specific comparison visible when the record supports one.
Open surgery
The proposed sternotomy or other open approach, including why the operation was recommended, what it is intended to address, and what the operative plan includes.
Minimally invasive surgery
A smaller-incision surgical approach may be discussed when the operation, anatomy, prior procedures, and available expertise make it a reasonable option.
Catheter-based treatment
TAVR, TEER, PCI, or another transcatheter path may be considered only when it is relevant to the disease, anatomy, durability questions, and goals of care.
Medical therapy or monitoring
Medication, risk-factor management, further testing, or surveillance may remain important alongside a procedure—or may be the primary path in selected cases.
How the review works
From scattered records to one clear next conversation.
You bring the question. The records team helps assemble the evidence. The reviewing physicians do the independent clinical work.
- 01
Message us without a referral
Tell us what open operation you were advised to have, what is already scheduled, and what you most need to understand.
- 02
We help gather the record
Upload what you have. With your authorization, the records team can help obtain the imaging, reports, notes, labs, and recommendation needed for review.
- 03
Two physicians review independently
A cardiac surgeon and cardiologist examine the same required records and imaging from their respective clinical perspectives, then confer.
- 04
Receive one co-signed report
Your WHITEGLOVE Insights™ report is delivered within 24 hours only after all required records and imaging have been received and confirmed complete.
Clinical rigor
The comparison follows the disease—not a preferred procedure.
ACC/AHA/SCAICoronary revascularization guidance and multidisciplinary Heart Team decision-makingACC/AHAValvular heart disease guidance and multidisciplinary valve evaluationACC/AHAAortic disease guidance for operative thresholds and shared decision-makingSociety of Thoracic SurgeonsAdult Cardiac Surgery Database operative risk calculator
The sources shown are representative, not a complete list for every operation. Guidelines and risk models inform—but do not replace—case-specific physician judgment. Model estimates do not predict an individual outcome with certainty.
Start with the written review
One reviewed record set. Four levels of support.
Every service level includes independent review by a cardiac surgeon and cardiologist and one co-signed written report. Choose live physician time only if you want it.
WHITEGLOVE Insights™
$495one-timeIndependent review by both physicians and one co-signed written report.
Purchase Insights™WHITEGLOVE Consult
$995one-timeThe written report plus a live consultation with one reviewing physician.
Purchase ConsultWHITEGLOVE Heart Team
$1,495one-timeThe written report plus both reviewing physicians together on the consultation.
Purchase Heart TeamWHITEGLOVE Concierge
$2,495one-timeThe Heart Team consultation plus concierge access through the day of surgery.
Purchase ConciergeFour one-time prices: $495, $995, $1,495, and $2,495. Direct pay; WHITEGLOVEMD does not submit insurance claims. No referral or call is required to purchase.
Questions families ask first
Open-heart surgery second opinion FAQ.
What is an open-heart surgery second opinion?+
It is an independent review of the diagnosis, testing, proposed operation, alternatives, personalized risk, and care setting before you make a final decision. WHITEGLOVEMD provides educational decision support and medical-record review; it does not replace the physicians responsible for your care.
Who reviews my open-heart surgery case?+
A cardiac surgeon and cardiologist independently review the same records and imaging required for your case, then confer and co-sign one WHITEGLOVE Insights™ report. Their operating-room and cardiology perspectives are included at every service level.
Does a second opinion always recommend an alternative to open surgery?+
No. Open surgery may be the most appropriate path. Minimally invasive, catheter-based, medical, or monitoring strategies are discussed only when the record and your individual anatomy make them reasonable to consider. A useful second opinion may confirm the current plan and explain why.
How quickly will I receive the written report?+
The report is delivered within 24 hours only after all required records and imaging for your review have been received and confirmed complete. Time spent requesting or collecting missing records is outside that 24-hour window.
What records are needed before open-heart surgery?+
The exact record depends on the proposed operation. It may include echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, CT or MRI imaging, consultation notes, laboratory results, prior operative reports, and the proposed surgical plan. With your authorization, the records team can help identify and obtain what is needed.
How much does an open-heart surgery second opinion cost?+
WHITEGLOVEMD offers four one-time service levels: Insights™ at $495, Consult at $995, Heart Team at $1,495, and Concierge at $2,495. Every level includes review by a cardiac surgeon and cardiologist and one co-signed written report. You can purchase directly or request a complimentary call before choosing.
Does insurance cover the review?+
WHITEGLOVEMD is a direct-pay service and does not submit insurance claims. All four one-time prices are shown before checkout, and no insurance authorization or complimentary call is required to purchase.
Do I need a referral or need to travel?+
No referral is required. The medical-record review is completed remotely, so you do not need to travel for the second opinion itself. Consultation service levels are also available remotely.
Will getting a second opinion delay my operation?+
Not necessarily, but timing depends on how quickly the required records and imaging are available and how urgent your condition is. Continue following your treating team’s instructions, and do not delay urgent or time-sensitive care while waiting for this service.
What if I have chest pain or urgent symptoms now?+
WHITEGLOVEMD is not an emergency service. Call 911 or seek immediate local emergency care for chest pain, severe shortness of breath, fainting, new weakness, or any other urgent symptoms.
Before the first incision
Understand why open surgery fits—and what was seriously compared.
Compare the four service levels and purchase securely, or talk with us first if you want help choosing.
No referral or call is required to purchase. The written report is delivered within 24 hours only after all required records and imaging are confirmed complete.