The Mayo Clinic Cardiovascular Surgery team provides quality care for complex and serious conditions that affect people of all ages. Heart (cardiac) and chest (thoracic) surgeons at Mayo Clinic diagnose and surgically treat conditions of the heart, lungs and chest. They perform thousands of surgeries each year at the clinic's campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.
Our surgeons are on the leading edge of treating cardiovascular and cardiothoracic conditions, using the latest innovations, such as minimally invasive heart surgery with robot-assisted techniques.
A team focused on you
Cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgeons at Mayo Clinic are part of a multidisciplinary team that provides expert care tailored to your needs. Depending on your needs, your team may include specialists in cardiovascular medicine, gastroenterology and hepatology, general surgery, hematology, oncology, otolaryngology, pulmonary medicine, critical care medicine, vascular medicine, endovascular surgery, anesthesiology, pathology, radiology, pediatrics, or physical therapy. Your care team may also include registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dietitians and geneticists.
Our team approach means your test results are available quickly, appointments are scheduled in coordination, and multiple experts discuss the best approach for you. What might take months elsewhere can often be done in days here.
Experience in advanced treatments and innovations
Our surgeons perform more than 4,500 cardiac surgeries each year. They are experts in treating serious conditions and performing complex procedures, including heart failure surgery, heart transplantation, heart valve surgery, surgery to treat congenital heart defects in children and congenital heart disease in adults, transcatheter aortic valve replacement and implantation of ventricular assist devices, and total artificial hearts.
Our surgeons are also experts in cardiac reoperations, which are sometimes needed due to the deterioration of a previous replacement valve or the development of new heart disease. Cardiac reoperations are even more complex than first surgeries, due to scar tissue and other underlying conditions of the people who need this treatment. People who come back for second or even third heart surgeries need surgeons with a highly advanced set of surgical skills and techniques. Mayo Clinic surgeons do more than 300 cardiac reoperations each year.
Pediatric cardiac surgery is provided to children at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Cardiovascular surgeons trained in treating children work closely with doctors trained in treating child and adolescent cardiovascular conditions (pediatric cardiologists) as well as other pediatric specialists to provide comprehensive care.
Mayo Clinic Health System clinics, hospitals and health care facilities serve more than 60 communities in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Cardiovascular surgeons also perform surgery at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Research to improve surgical care
Our cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgeons are leaders in researching and adopting new approaches and techniques. For example, they have used a new strategy for treating hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) called ex-utero intrapartum treatment, which allows them in certain situations to treat HLHS without cardiopulmonary bypass for an open-heart operation.
They also participate in innovative studies to improve donor hearts and lungs before transplantation. With a technique called ex-vivo perfusion, donor organs are supplied with blood and oxygen outside of the body by machines to improve their functions before being transplanted.
Our physician-scientists collaborate with researchers worldwide, contributing to advances in cardiovascular surgery that improve heart care for people everywhere.
Cardiovascular surgery appointment process in Rochester, Minnesota
[Music playing]
Cardiovascular surgery appointment process, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN
Phase One: Initial contact
Melissa K. Erdman, P.A.-C, Cardiovascular Surgery, Mayo Clinic: Once you or your provider contact Mayo Clinic, a patient appointment service specialist will work with you to schedule a phone call or video visit with an advanced practice provider within two business days from the initial request. This initial call or visit will often last about an hour, during which we will ask about recent testing that has been completed locally and walk you through some steps to have these records and test results sent to Mayo for review by our surgeons. We'll also discuss the patient history including medical, surgical, family and social information, along with any medications, allergies, and current symptoms. This information will allow the cardiac surgery team at Mayo to clearly understand the patient concerns. By reviewing all the gathered medical information in advance, our surgeons are able to more efficiently provide the surgical recommendation. It is vital that our surgeons are able to view the actual test images from local care providers in order to provide the best personalized medical or surgical option for the patient. If the images are not available following the phone or video visit within ten business days, the surgeon will move forward with the review, though it may be difficult to determine the specific surgery needed without the existing record and images. In this case, additional or repeat testing may be necessary to best meet the patient's needs. If that does happen, the situation will be discussed with you prior to scheduling an appointment.
Phase Two: Surgery consult
Upon completion of the surgical review process, a phone call or video visit will be arranged between the patient and/or caregivers and the surgeon to discuss the recommendations for surgery.
Phase Three: Scheduling onsite care
After that discussion, we'll schedule an appointment for the onsite preoperative visit and reserve a surgical date. Often, conducting the medical record review and evaluation before an onsite appointment limits the patient travel, so that only one trip to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota is necessary. That said, if the surgeon feels additional testing is necessary to determine the course of treatment, it may require a longer stay in Rochester or a preliminary visit prior to scheduling the surgical case.
At Mayo, by putting the patient at the center of everything we do, we continually strive to provide each patient with the precise care that they need. And we are happy to discuss additional questions at anytime. Just contact us at the telephone number on this page.
Cardiovascular Surgery Appointment Office
507-255-2000
Rochester, MN
[Music playing]
Contact
Arizona
Florida
Minnesota
Jan. 20, 2023