Innovative expansion of the treatment spectrum
The Heidelberg heart specialists are leaders in numerous disciplines within Germany and Europe. With regular innovations, the team always has its finger on the pulse and has added two new services to its range of treatments within just a few weeks.
New heart valve prosthesis
A narrowing of the pulmonary valve is one of the most common congenital heart malformations. A new heart valve prosthesis has recently become in valuable, which is inserted into adults with congenital heart defects who have already undergone surgery by means of a catheter procedure. This is a method that spares those affected form an open operation. This was also the case for the 43 year old patient who recently became the first patient at Heidelberg University Hospital to be successfully treated with this type of valve prosthesis.
“This type of valve will probably only be used in a small number of patients each year. Nevertheless, we are pleased that almost all patients who need a pulmonary valve replacement can be spared an operation,” says Prof. Gorenflo, Medical Director of the Clinic for Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Defects.
Complete artificial heart
The wait for a donor heart is long, often too long for patients with severe heart disease who urgently need the new organ. The cardia surgery team at Heidelberg University Hospital has now, for the first time, implanted two patients with complete artifical hearts from Carmat. The newly introduced lifesaver bridges the waiting time until the potential life-saving transplantation of a real donor heart.
The hydraulic pump, slightly larger than a natural heart, is inserted into the chest. It is no longer a muscle that pumps the blood through the patient's chest, but a miracle of robotics. The latest generation of devices thus completely replace the biological heart.
The department of cardiac surgery at Heidelberg University Hospital
More than 2,500 operations are performed annually in 5 operating theaters. A total of 60 beds are available for adult cardiac surgery to ensure optimal patient care, including 16 beds in the intensive care unit, 14 beds in the intermediate care unit and 30 beds in the nursing ward. The interdisciplinary cooperation of experienced specialists and state-of-the-art medical equipment ensure comprehensive diagnostics and customized therapies for every patient.