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Cardiovascular Surgery

The Mayo Clinic experience and patient stories

Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care like they've never experienced. See the stories of satisfied Mayo Clinic patients.

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    A heart patient's fall picks up something big

    Mitch Prust has fond memories of spending long hours hiking the trails at his getaway in northwestern Wisconsin, but during a visit in late September, it's what he didn't remember that put him on a new path. It was not hours or minutes; it was just a few seconds. While this was a short lapse of time, the positive result of this experience will last a lifetime. Around 9 p.m. while walking through the woods…
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    A shared heart: Two families come together after tragedy, transplant

    Around the 15th of every month, Christin Gigstad and Tina Haug think of each other. They pick up their phones and text. Even if they've already talked that week, they want to check in. It's an important date for them, one that no one else can fully understand. Four years ago, Christin and Tina were strangers. Their lives were brought together by crisis. And now they like to say they have a shared heart, thanks…
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    A regenerative bridge to transplant

    At 34, Steven Graham has already beaten the odds. Born with a heart defect, doctors predicted that he would not live past 30. But over the years and a series of pacemakers, his heart was giving out, and he needed a transplant. Complicating matters, Steven's declining cardiac muscle was also damaging his lungs. His physicians said he would need a heart and lung transplant. Then came the tough news that they no longer could help…
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    Specialized heart surgery gives Florida father hope for future

    Eric Salter's life changed unexpectedly in May 2017 when he suffered a life-threatening aortic dissection while working from his home office. The active father of two who was then 42 went from living a normal, healthy life to having just minutes to say goodbye to his family before emergency surgery. https://youtu.be/1lk8mL5cENU "We thought I was in great shape ― the best shape of my life," says Eric. "I didn't have any symptoms that would tell…
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    New heart, new start for Gregg Bohlig

    Heart-pounding moments have been ever-present in Gregg Bohlig's life. He is a gifted athlete and was a three-sport star in high school, earning state player of the year in football and second team all-state guard in basketball. And he was offered a contract with a major league baseball team. While in college, the Eau Claire, Wisconsin, native was the quarterback on the University of Wisconsin Badger football team and led the team to victory over…
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    A mother's heart: Teamwork saves new mom, son

    Every birth is a life-changing event and many new parents enjoy sharing detailed birth stories to all who will listen. Some stories are about quick labor and barely making it to the hospital in time. Others tell tales of painful back contractions or long, slow labor. It's not a competition, but if it were, the prize for most dramatic birth story might go to Julie and Kyle Janzen. May 5 started out like any other…
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    Detecting danger: Dan O'Bryan

    Dan O’Bryan didn’t think his dizziness and lightheadedness were anything to worry about. Nearly 100 miles away, the team at Mayo Clinic that was remotely monitoring Dan’s heart could see the truth. Looking back, Dan O’Bryan now can see the connection between his dizzy spells and episodes of lightheadedness during spring 2021, and the slow heart rate and atrial fibrillation diagnoses that led him to have a pacemaker implanted in his chest. At the time, however, he didn’t realize that his…
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    In my own words: Heart health for myself and my family

    Sandra Driggers is a nurse at Mayo Clinic in Florida who works in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. This is her heart health story. I struggled with my weight for most of my life. I never really gave a lot of thought to being healthy (or unhealthy), or about how my weight and lifestyle played a role in my future health.But a little over 16 years ago, I had a heart attack. Back then, at…

  9. Complex heart surgery gives 6-year-old a second chance at childhood

    Amy and Josh Porter were looking for the best pediatric heart surgery program to give their son the best chance at a regular childhood. Then they learned that two of them were working together in a new collaboration. When Mitchell Porter was born, he was diagnosed with heart defects that typi?cally require multiple surgeries over [...]

  10. 84-year-old patient reaches milestone on a left ventricular assist device

    Gayle Wilkerson has lived for 10 years with a left ventricular assist device, a mechanical pump that helps a damaged heart pump blood. The milestone is one not many patients reach. Gayle Wilkerson doesn't accept hero status. Her care team at Mayo Clinic disagrees. At age 84, Gayle, holds the honor of living on a left ventricular [...]
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Sept. 17, 2021
  1. U.S. News Best Hospitals 2020-21. U.S. News & World Report. http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings. Accessed Sept. 23, 2020.
  2. Planning and financial services. Mayo Clinic. Feb. 26, 2019.
  3. Centers of Excellence. Extracorporeal Life Support Organization. https://www.elso.org/AwardofExcellence/CentersofExcellence.aspx. Accessed Dec. 9, 2020.
  4. Best Internal Medicine Programs. U.S. World News & Report. https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools/internal-medicine-rankings. Accessed Sept. 23, 2020.
  5. Doximity Residency Navigator Internal Medicine Programs. Doximity, Inc. https://residency.doximity.com. Accessed Aug. 20, 2018.
  6. Innovative 2-step management strategy utilizing EXIT procedure for a fetus with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and intact atrial septum. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2019; doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.08.004.
  7. Gray WS (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Oct. 26, 2020.
  8. Crestanello JA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Nov. 9, 2020.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., has been recognized as one of the top Cardiology & Heart Surgery hospitals in the nation for 2021-2022 by U.S. News & World Report.

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Cardiovascular Surgery

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