Dr. Frederick William Mayer, MD

Media Releases

Get to know Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Frederick William Mayer, who serves patients in Anchorage, Alaska.

Dr. Mayer is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon who has extensive experience in a wide array of cardiac and thoracic surgery procedures. 

He is on staff at Denali Cardiac & Thoracic Surgical Group, LLC in Anchorage, Alaska. Founded in 2001, Denali Cardiac & Thoracic Surgical Group, LLC is a highly specialized team of cardiothoracic surgeons dedicated to providing the highest quality health care services, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and education to patients with cardiovascular, thoracic, and vascular disease.

Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Dr. Mayer graduated from West High School and attended the University of Alaska Anchorage. He worked as a commercial pilot prior to leaving to attend medical school at the Bowman-Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where he earned his medical degree.

He then completed his training in general and cardio-thoracic surgery at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, as well as an additional one-year fellowship training at Scripps Clinic and Research Institute in La Jolla, California to concentrate on his interest and passion of valve repairs, aortic homograft, valve replacement, and the Ross procedure. Thereafter, he served as Assistant Director and Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Naval Medical Center San Diego.

During his time in the Navy, Dr. Mayer also served a tour as the ship surgeon on the aircraft carrier USS Midway. Upon leaving San Diego, he began an open heart program in Visalia, California in conjunction with the renowned Starr-Wood Cardiac Surgical Group in Portland, Oregon. The program started as a De Novo program and after Dr. Mayer completed 6,000 open heart cases during his tenure, it received a coveted recognition as a Top 100 Cardiac Program in the Nation. In addition to being a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Mayer is board-certified in thoracic surgery by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. 

Cardiothoracic surgeons are medical doctors who specialize in surgical procedures inside the thorax, which may involve the heart, lungs, esophagus, and other organs in the chest. Alongside performing surgery, they also diagnose and treat diseases of these organs. Dr. Mayer’s passion is cardiac surgery. He has extensive experience in thoracic surgery as well, including lung cancer, chest wall and mediastinal tumors, and video-assisted minimally invasive thoracic surgery. 

Recommended Articles

• Atrial Fibrillation: What is a Catheter Ablation?

  Atrial fibrillation - also known as AF or a-fib - is a medical condition that affects the rhythm of the heart. Problems that affect the rhythm of the heart cause a condition known as arrhythmia. This condition often causes irregular blood flow. It is quite common, with more than 200,000 cases in the...

• Complications of Myocardial Infarction

  Complications can be divided according to different factors:...

• Treatment for Congestive Heart Failure

  The following methods work together to treat heart failure:...

• Atypical Forms of Myocardial Infarction

  Atypical myocardial infarction often occurs in older patients with a pronounced cardiosclerosis, circulatory failure, and often with people who have a history of heart attacks.The symptoms may confuse you, or make you think that they are not associated with the heart.Usually, atypical manifestations...

• Congestive Heart Failure: What is Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG)?

  Congestive Heart Failure is the leading cause of emergency hospitalization among people aged over sixty. It is a condition where the heart is inefficient in pumping the required amount of blood to the other parts of the body. This inefficiency can sometimes be so severe that it can impair the...

• What Is an Arrhythmia?

  An arrhythmia is the violations of the frequency, rhythm, and sequence of heart contractions.Why do arrythmias occur?...