Rheumatic fever care at Mayo Clinic
Your Mayo Clinic care team
Mayo Clinic cardiologists treat people with all types of heart conditions, including people with heart damage caused by rheumatic fever. Mayo doctors trained in pediatric cardiology, cardiovascular diseases, cardiovascular surgery and other areas collaborate as a multidisciplinary team to provide coordinated, comprehensive care. This collaborative approach means care providers can often evaluate you and develop a treatment plan within two or three days.
Health care providers at Mayo Clinic provide care for you as a whole person. They take the time to get to know you and work with you to provide exactly the care you need.
Advanced diagnosis and treatment
The inflammation from rheumatic fever can cause permanent damage to the heart valves, causing them to narrow or leak. Doctors in the Valvular Heart Disease Clinic have expertise and experience treating people with heart valve disease.
Heart valve damage might require heart valve surgery to repair or replace a heart valve. Mayo Clinic heart surgeons have been instrumental in developing innovative surgical techniques to treat heart valve conditions. When possible, surgeons use minimally invasive heart surgery, which involves the use of smaller incisions.
Expertise and rankings
- Experience. Mayo Clinic doctors trained in treating children with heart conditions (pediatric cardiologists), doctors trained in heart disease (cardiologists) and doctors trained in heart surgery (cardiovascular surgeons) have vast experience evaluating and treating people with all types of heart conditions. Pediatric cardiologists at Mayo Clinic's campus in Minnesota team up with other Mayo doctors who have experience treating rheumatic fever. Mayo doctors evaluate and treat more than 30 people a year with rheumatic fever.
- Surgical expertise. If the heart valves are damaged as a result of rheumatic fever, eventually you or your child may need heart valve repair or heart valve replacement. Mayo Clinic cardiovascular surgeons have expertise and experience performing heart valve surgery to treat many heart valve conditions. When possible, surgeons use minimally invasive heart surgery, which involves the use of smaller incisions.
- Collaborative care. With Mayo Clinic's emphasis on collaborative care, specialists at each of the campuses — Minnesota, Arizona and Florida — interact very closely with colleagues at the other campuses and the Mayo Clinic Health System.
Nationally recognized expertise
Mayo Clinic campuses are nationally recognized for expertise in cardiology and cardiovascular surgery:
- Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for heart and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report.
- Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Rochester is ranked the No. 1 hospital in Minnesota, and the five-state region of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2022–2023 "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings.
Learn more about Mayo Clinic's cardiovascular surgery and cardiovascular medicine departments' expertise and rankings.
Locations, travel and lodging
Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.
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Costs and insurance
Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people.
In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals, or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. All appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need.
Learn more about appointments at Mayo Clinic.
Please contact your insurance company to verify medical coverage and to obtain any needed authorization prior to your visit. Often, your insurer's customer service number is printed on the back of your insurance card.