Salim Mathew, MD

I recently had heart surgery while visiting family out of state. Upon my return home it took him four months to make a follow up appointment with me. During my visit with him he didn't ask me if I had any concerns and didn't go over the medications I was taking to advise me to continue taking them ir cut back the dosage. Dr. Mathew was provided all of my records the cardiologist in Texas compiled to share with him. Heck no one even took my blood pressure.

Dr. Mathew has been wonderful with my mom. He is very knowledgeable and compassionate. I highly recommend him to anyone needing an experienced cardiologist.

Unfortunately just this morning on May 30th 2024 I called Dr. Benjamin's Matthew's office at the Charlottsville Atbermarle Cardiology to make an appointment to be seen for a much needed prescription refill for blood pressure meds and office staff hung up on me as I was trying to make an appointment. Not a caring attitude at all much less concern for their patients. My phone line dropped and the office did not even try to call me back. Even though this is not about Dr. Matthew's level of care but rather the handling of a simple call for an appointment, this certainly reflects on the overall professionalism of this office.

I was referred to Dr. Salim B. Mathew as my primary cardiologist for over three years before a serious heart attack permanently damaged my heart. He even once personally admitted he "dropped the ball" in my care. When Covid abated I had a Stress Echo Test with Anna Baer in his CA Lab and I was unnecessarily rushed by ambulance to MJH where I "promptly" waited in the MJH ER for OVER THREE HOURS before being called for an unnecessary chest X-ray instead of the Emergency Cath I desperately needed. AN UNACCEPTABLE TURNAROUND TIME FOR ANY ACCREDITED CATH LAB! Especially since I had already been diagnosed with severe ischemic heart disease 17 years prior, and I was an established patient. Please note I never refused the Cath, just the unbelievably, absurd, and unprofessional turnaround time. I PROMPTLY WALKED BACK TO MY CAR A HALF MILE AWAY IN DISGUST. Later, I allowed Salim to do the Cath in the MJH/Sentara Lab. I was inadequately sedated, the IV being placed in my brachioradialis muscle instead of an antecubital fossa vein, probably by a travel nurse/tech, and then an auto BP cuff slapped over that; my arm. was, of course, swollen with infiltration from this shabbily performed ten-minute procedure. Salim said post procedure I needed OPEN HEART SURGERY, requiring my chest to be split open, with three bypass grafts. Salim said that stents would not work for my condition and only a bypass would work. I later went to UVA for a SCHEDULED interventional Cath and Dr. Ragosta and his team put two stents in my heart and saved my life; however, not before an MI destroyed 20 percent of my heart due to all of the stress and incompetent care I had received at the Martha Jefferson Cath Lab. Also, be aware that it is nearly impossible to sue a doctor in Charlottesville due to the fact that every lawyer in Virginia has ties to the UVA Law School or Charlottesville. If I had the interventional cath at MJH/Sentara with two stents after the Stress Test according to ACC protocols I would have been fine and not had a heart attack. NO ACCOUNTABILITY BY THIS PRACTITIONER, HIS GROUP, OR HIS CATH LAB. NO FINESSE WHATSOEVER!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Dr. MATTHEW saw my 86 yr old mother. He was very thorough, compassionate and reassuring to her needs and concerns. Highly recommend.