I sought out Mayo because they care for thousands of people with ascending aortic aneurysms. With a lot of surgeries and a team approach, the patient has a higher survival rate and less complications ( like stroke, heart attack, kidney damage or other organ damage etc.), during the surgery and the 30 days following it. I found during my research, that the Cleveland clinic is ranked number 1, but Mayo in Phoenix is closer to me. Unless I rupture or dissect, I want my surgery performed there. I discovered that ascending aortic repair is one of the most dangerous surgeries. The reason the cardio -vascular surgeon waits until it grows, is, at a certain diameter depending on genetic issues like Marfan or having a bi cuspid aortic valve, the risk of dying from the aneurysm is greater than the risk of dying from the surgery. For me it’s not a second opinion although they are very thorough and do a genetic panel to check for certain issues that would require an earlier surgery….