top heart centers

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no. 2 - the mayo clinic

Mayo Clinic is located in Rochester, Minnesota.

Reasons to Go There for Heart Care
Mayo Clinic is outstanding in health communication. Through its Web site MayoClinic.com, visitors have access to everything from an a-to-z symptom checker to Q&A with cardiologists, physicians, and nutritionists. Through Medical Edge, the clinic broadcasts radio and TV news available to the public and posts its syndicated newspaper columns. Mayo prides itself in following this detail-oriented, personable, professional tone.

Physicians at Mayo Clinic focus on an integrated approach to medical care: patients receive care through clinical practice, education, and research. The Cardiology and Vascular Center at Mayo is home to 125 physicians and sees more than 59,000 patients a year. There are 19 specialty heart clinics within the center, including a Women’s Heart Clinic that focuses on the particular concerns of women about heart health. It also works with other women’s clinics at Mayo including obstetrics and gynecology and the breast clinic. 

A patient-first mantra is an integral part of Mayo Clinic lore and practice. Communications pieces are filled with personal stories of heart attack survivors, those who have risen above heart failure, and people who are avid runners post-heart-transplant. Patients can track and manage their health care online through a personal profile. They also can set up a Care Page to keep family and friends aware of their progress. Some components of patient care are even available via wireless phones. Mayo’s focus on patient care has made it a non-partisan voice in the campaign for health-care reform.

Mayo Clinic has a significant interest in research and education. Like the other top heart centers, Mayo has a history of medical advances. The clinic created the first intensive care unit (ICU) in 1957, which catered to open-heart surgery patients. Mayo also has frequent and ongoing clinical trials and technological breakthroughs. Mayo has a publication, Discovery’s Edge, that documents its research pursuits.

Making News
In May 2007, researchers at Mayo Clinic found that many heart patients can receive same-day coronary angiography and elective valve surgery. Typically, the test and the surgery are spaced apart due to the use of a dye injected in the arteries to detect blood flow. Patients sometimes had to wait days or weeks to have surgery. Physicians were concerned that the dye would compromise kidney function and surgery would be too risky. Researchers found that by switching the type of dye used and screening patients for kidney disease, many patients could have the test and elect to have surgery the same day. The results of the study were published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Mayo’s monthly peer-reviewed journal.