I am a Board Certified Anesthesiologist who was a patient of Dr. Andrei Mark for two issues: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Implant Placement. In addition to my oral problems, I had severe spinal cord compression from two herniated cervical discs. I had to undergo an Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion (ACDF) but was concerned about post-operative pain management. Narcotics are known to worsen OSA with risk of suffocation if a breathing machine, CPAP, is not used during sleep. If I could not tolerate narcotics, my only available pain medication would be Tylenol and hence I would have a very painful recovery.
Dr. Mark performed the Pillar Procedure on me in July 2007. It was a quick and relatively painless office procedure leaving me with a mild soar throat for approximately two days. I ate a normal diet with unrestricted activity during that time. The benefits of the Pillar Procedure should be apparent after 2-3 months. As such, I had my ACDF surgery on October 3rd, 2007. The surgery was a success. Postoperatively, the surgical team had me recover in a monitored setting with fear of severe obstruction while on Morphine. I had my CPAP machine available in the hospital room just in case. I never had to use the machine. I did NOT obstruct even while asleep on Morphine. This recovery period was a stronger test of the Pillar Procedure than a regular sleep study since Morphine was involved. I thought that I would still be dependent on the CPAP machine considering I had a relatively high setting of 13cmH2O. The Pillar Procedure essentially cured my OSA.
In addition to the Pillar Procedure, I would trust Dr. Mark with any oral surgery. Many dentists in the past have had difficulty adequately numbing my teeth and jaw. I had been accustomed to three attempts with a 45-minute wait for a patchy block resulting in a painful procedure. Dr. Mark was able to recognize an anatomical variation in my jaw that required a more superior approach to the administration of the local anesthetic. The operative site was numb with just one attempt. I have not been this comfortable during dental surgery ever. Dr. Andrei Mark is an expert in his field.
John L. Leonardo, M.D.
out of 5 stars
