Mayo Clinic's approach
Heart Surgery Re-imagined.
Click here for an infographic to learn more
Your Mayo Clinic team
At Mayo Clinic, doctors trained in heart disease (cardiologists), doctors trained in heart surgery (cardiac surgeons), anesthesiologists and other health care professionals trained in minimally invasive heart surgery work closely as a multidisciplinary team to provide coordinated, comprehensive care. The Mayo Clinic treatment team works with you to ensure a full, smooth recovery after surgery.
- Comprehensive care. Mayo doctors take the time to get to know you and work with you to provide exactly the care you need. They'll evaluate you to determine if you're a candidate for minimally invasive heart surgery. In some cases, doctors may recommend open-heart surgery instead. Your doctor will consider your individual needs and lifestyle to determine the most appropriate treatment for you.
- Advanced treatment. Mayo Clinic heart surgeons work with an experienced and trained surgical team to perform minimally invasive heart surgery, including robot-assisted heart surgery and thoracoscopic surgery. Minimally invasive heart surgery may have several advantages to open-heart surgery such as smaller scars, a shorter hospital stay and a quicker recovery. Your treatment team may suggest that you participate in the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Mayo Clinic. Cardiac rehab is a program of exercise and education to help you recover and improve your health after surgery.
- Research and innovation. Mayo Clinic heart surgeons and researchers actively study potential new techniques, advanced technology, and new developments for minimally invasive heart surgery in clinical and laboratory research.
Robot-assisted heart surgery team at Mayo Clinic
A Mayo Clinic surgeon and surgical team assist with robot-assisted heart surgery, while another surgeon sits at a remote console controlling the robotic arms.
Advanced heart surgery options
For generations patients with heart conditions have turned to Mayo Clinic for answers.
Offering the full spectrum of specialized care and treatment options.
Patients are surrounded by a team of heart experts to develop the strongest individualized treatment plans, to provide the safest and most successful surgeries.
There are many ways to reach the heart for surgery. During traditional surgery, the surgeons open the chest to access the heart. With advancing technologies, minimally invasive robotic surgery options are now available to treat a variety of heart conditions. During minimally invasive surgery, the heart is reached through tiny chest incisions.
The surgical team at Mayo Clinic will recommend a unique care plan for each patient for best results, focused on long-term outcomes.
Together we are creating the future of heart care, one patient at a time.
Expertise and rankings
Mayo Clinic heart surgeons have extensive training and experience in performing minimally invasive heart surgery to treat a wide variety of heart conditions. Mayo Clinic heart surgeons perform more than 5,200 minimally invasive heart surgeries each year, including robot-assisted heart surgery and thoracoscopic surgery.
Mayo Clinic doctors have experience evaluating and treating people with heart valve disease in the Valvular Heart Disease Clinic.
Pediatric heart specialists, including pediatric cardiologists and pediatric heart surgeons, are experienced in evaluating and treating children with heart disease at Mayo Clinic's campus in Minnesota. Pediatric heart surgeons have experience performing minimally invasive heart surgery in older children. Youth needing hospitalization receive care at Mayo Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital at Mayo Clinic's campus in Minnesota.
Nationally recognized expertise
Mayo Clinic campuses are nationally recognized for expertise in cardiology and cardiovascular surgery:
- Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Ariz., 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.
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.
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.
For more information on visiting Mayo Clinic, choose your location below:
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.
Clinical trials
Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions.
Oct. 09, 2021