This man is in my experience one of the finest, most dedicated, intelligent and skilled surgeons in the world. And he cares about his patients. In 1989 my wife went to him at Mayo Clinic needing heart valve replacement. It turned out that the opening to the main artery from the heart was too small to provide proper circulation. He inserted the valve and added a Gortex patch to solve the artery problem. When my wife's weak heart did not immediately respond, he did not give up. He used a new (then experimental) external heart pump to rest her heart for a number of days so it could finally resume its job. This man saved my wife's life. When fully recovered, she was able to walk faster for longer periods than she had since childhood. I will always thank God we went to him. A less experienced or less knowledgeable or less dedicated surgeon would have given up on her.