Mayo Clinic is one of the largest and most experienced surgical practices in the world. Mayo has more than 300 surgeons and 139 operating rooms among its three locations in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.
Every year, thousands of patients choose Mayo Clinic for needed surgeries — from simple, minimally invasive procedures to complex and exacting operations involving several surgical specialties. Mayo surgeons perform high volumes of complex operations. Our caring staff take the time to explain the details and make sure all questions are answered.
Why choose Mayo Clinic for surgical care
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Michael L. Kendrick, M.D., Chair, Department of Surgery: Department of Surgery at Mayo Clinic is at the cutting edge of technology and treatment options. We have a lot of experience with even the most very complex diagnoses and surgical conditions. With that experience will come the ability to perform operations or procedures that are rarely offered other places. The three shields are practice, research, and education.
Erica Loomis, M.D., Vice chair, Practice | Department of Surgery: How do you bring all those three things together? We use our research shield to advance the practice and we use the practice shield to advance education and everything in reverse.
Janani S. Reisenauer, M.D., Vice chair, Innovation | Department of Surgery: Every employee at Mayo Clinic is focused on the integration of three shields into every aspect of what they do for patient care. I would also say that our focus on education ensures that we're providing the best technologies and the best options for patients so that they have the best treatments available.
Todd E. Rasmussen, M.D., Vice chair, Education | Department of Surgery: The patient will quickly identify that he or she's in the center of things that we are all focused about the patient, about the clinical practice and his or her outcome; that we're able to bring in world-class researchers -- scientists to add to their care. It's a combination that is very unique and singular in the healthcare landscape,
Dr. Reisenauer: We implement a multidisciplinary team which involves people with research expertise so that patients are exposed to clinical trials.
Dr. Rasmussen: Our goal within the Department of Surgery is to train the next generation of surgeons for the world.
Dr. Kendrick: We're doing things today that weren't possible a few years ago. And I think that speaks to the mission of Mayo Clinic and the Department of Surgery.
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Surgery at Mayo Clinic offers several advantages, including efficient scheduling for complex care, a broad spectrum of services, use of the latest technology, and access to clinical trials and new treatments. We offer expertise in cancer surgery as well as deep and broad experience in minimally invasive and robotic procedures.
Mayo's unmatched resources, the expertise of the staff and a teamwork approach help us often find answers to problems that have eluded others.
Integrated care
Mayo surgeons offer a collaborative approach to patient care, working closely with colleagues in other surgical and medical specialties to find the best treatment approach for each patient. Surgeons are part of the team of doctors who work together to solve patients' problems. Collaboration brings a range of ideas, knowledge and experience to bear on a problem, ultimately providing better answers than any single physician could provide individually.
State-of-the-art surgical facilities
In Arizona, surgery is performed at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, which supports 18 operating rooms equipped with the latest diagnostic and surgical equipment. The Florida campus supports 34 operating rooms at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Florida, while on the MN campus surgeries are performed in 87 operating rooms at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus (including Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital) or Mayo Clinic Hospital, Methodist Campus.
Innovation: Precision medicine and next-generation technologies
Surgical innovation is a Mayo Clinic tradition and legacy that began with the pioneering work of Drs. William J. and Charles H. Mayo.
Mayo Clinic teams continue to redefine what's possible in patient care by adopting and advancing the most recent surgical breakthroughs.
Leveraging advanced diagnostics
Digital pathology: Mayo researchers and data scientists are building artificial intelligence (AI)-driven pathology models using large, diverse datasets to make diagnoses faster, more accurate, and more efficient; improve treatment approaches; and speed new cures to patients.
Choline C-11 PET and PET-MRI scans: Mayo Clinic was the first institution to use choline C-11 PET scans to much more precisely locate recurrent prostate cancer lesions. Mayo researchers are studying other uses for choline C-11 and PET-MRI scans, such as finding overactive parathyroid glands.
Transforming surgical planning and education with immersive technologies
Using 3D modeling and virtual reality, our surgical teams:
- Visualize complex anatomy.
- Rehearse intricate procedures.
- Design custom implants when needed, tailored to your needs.
Learn more about how Mayo's medical work in 3D printing has created new treatment avenues for our patients.
Precision diagnostic screening as a standard of care
Mayo surgical oncology teams regularly turn to integrated molecular and functional tumor screening, which lets them test features of a tumor to see what's driving its growth as well as how it reacts to different treatments.
These uncommon, leading-edge diagnostic tools let Mayo surgeons personalize therapies and treat people who wouldn't qualify for surgery at most institutions.
Minimally invasive and robot-assisted surgery
Mayo Clinic surgeons use robotic platforms to perform complex procedures with enhanced precision, dexterity and control. This approach results in smaller incisions, reduced pain and faster recovery. Mayo was one of the first large institutions to explore and adopt minimally invasive and robotic surgery to enhance patient care and recovery.
We also are advancing techniques in other areas, such as hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and brain tumor surgery. Mayo Clinic is one of the few medical centers in the country to offer awake brain surgery.
Mayo surgeons leverage fluorescence-guided surgery for brain cancers, which more visibly show the difference between tumor tissue and healthy brain tissue during surgery. Surgeons at Mayo Clinic also use computer-assisted brain surgery, which creates a 3D model of the brain that allows neurosurgeons to plan the safest way to perform a given procedure. During surgery, the computer system precisely guides the surgeon to the area of the brain being treated.
Mayo Clinic regularly uses intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) to treat many types of cancer. Radiation oncologists here consider IORT an ideal therapy for cancers that are likely to come back in the same area after surgery alone, as well as for cancers near sensitive organs.
Innovation beyond the operating room
We are enhancing postoperative recovery through Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols, remote patient monitoring and AI-driven postoperative care assessment. These efforts are designed to improve outcomes, shorten hospital stays and elevate each patient's experience.
Mayo Clinic Surgical Departments
Each of the departments below offers specialty surgical expertise.
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
- Audiology
- Breast and Melanoma Surgical Oncology in Rochester
- Breast Cancer Surgery Program in Jacksonville
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Children's Center
- Colon and Rectal Surgery
- Dental Specialties
- Dermatology
- Endocrine Surgery
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- General Surgery in Phoenix
- Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery
- Neurosurgery
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Ophthalmology
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Otorhinolaryngology (ENT)/Head and Neck Surgery
- Pediatric Surgery
- Plastic Surgery
- Shoulder and Elbow Surgery in Rochester
- Sports Medicine
- Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery in Arizona
- Thoracic Surgery
- Transplant Center
- Trauma, Critical Care and General Surgery in Rochester
- Urology
- Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
Dec. 19, 2024