Policies and Disclaimers

The Heart Surgery Forum® provides the technology for interactive discussion boards (and automated mailing lists) specifically for the purposes of discussion between cardiac surgeons and allied health personnel. The purpose is for professionals to exchange ideas amoungst themselves regarding the science and practice of cardiac surgery. Any medical information transmitted to persons, public or private, medical or non-medical is intended for information and educational value only. The Heart Surgery Forum® is not liable for the integrity, quality, or reliablity of information obtained through these free discussions. The discussion forum is not intended as a question and answer forum for patients and is not for tele-medicine contact between patients and physicians. The Heart Surgery Forum® and the discussion forums supported by the HSF® are not intended to advise patients, their families, or their treating physicians on how any individual patient should be managed. Patients who view these discussions or who ask questions must do so at their own risk. Physicians who respond are doing so out of compassion and concern, but cannot and do not have full access to the information and clinical data available to the patients personal physician. In this regard, any information or conclusions passed to individuals must be considered incomplete and in no way intended to substitute for the advise and counsel of the patients own personal (or treating) physician. Patients who enter the discussion forum and then seek advice pertaining to an individuals health care needs are strongly cautioned to return to the sole care of their personal physicians.

The Heart Surgery Forum® provides the technology for these discussions but does not endorse any participating physician or allied health personnel who may make recommendations to a specific patient. The HSF® provides no guidance to such physicians, and does not interfere with their respective First Amendment rights to Free Speech during these discussions. The only restrictions placed on postings by participants is against topics unrelated to cardiac surgery or the stated purposes of the discussion forum. The Heart Surgery Forum® will not accept responsibility for the opinions or comments expressed by participants at any time. Further, participants in these discussions should be aware that all postings to the discussion forum are archived and posted to the Internet for posterity. If anyone objects or is concerned about the content of these discussion forums, or about these stipulations, they are free to remove themselves or to delete offending or prejudicial messages.