For advice on area emergency rooms, we sent surveys to physicians selected by their peers for our April 2008 Top Doctors list. Nearly 500 told us where they would go for medical emergencies. Here are their top choices and the percentage of respondents who named them.

What ER would you go to if you were suffering a heart attack?

DC: Washington Hospital Center (66%).

Maryland: Suburban Hospital (61%).

Virginia: Inova Fairfax Hospital (85%).

. . . were suffering a stroke?

DC: Washington Hospital Center (44%), George Washington University Hospital (28%), Georgetown University Hospital (23%).

Maryland: Suburban (63%).

Virginia: Inova Fairfax (86%).

. . . had an undiagnosed life-threatening illness?

DC: Washington Hospital Center (39%), GW (29%), Georgetown (27%).

Maryland: Suburban (47%), Johns Hopkins University Hospital (34%).

Virginia: Inova Fairfax (85%).

. . . had a non-life-threatening emergency?

DC: Sibley Memorial Hospital (50%), GW (22%), Georgetown (16%).

Maryland: Suburban (58%), Shady Grove Adventist Hospital (21%).

Virginia: Inova Fairfax (43%), Inova Fair Oaks Hospital (19%).

Which ERs have the most effective triage systems?

DC: Sibley (34%), Washington Hospital Center (28%), GW (24%).

Maryland: Suburban (58%).

Virginia: Inova Fairfax (58%), Virginia Hospital Center (16%).

Which have the strongest medical and support staffs?

DC: Washington Hospital Center (42%), GW (28%), Georgetown (18%).

Maryland: Suburban (51%), Johns Hopkins (22%).

Virginia: Inova Fairfax (82%).

Which have the best technology, such as CT scans and MRIs?

DC: Washington Hospital Center (46%), GW (27%), Georgetown (17%).

Maryland: Suburban (56%), Johns Hopkins (22%), Holy Cross Hospital (10%).

Virginia: Inova Fairfax (85%).

What do you think is the best overall ER in the Washington area?

Inova Fairfax (28%), Washington Hospital Center (20%), Suburban (17%), GW (13%).

This article first appeared in the April 2009 issue of The Washingtonian. For more articles from that issue, click here.