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Long QT Syndrome - Best Hospitals, Doctors, Prices - Booking Health

Treatment of Long QT Syndrome

Long QT syndrome | Information about hospitals and doctors | Rankings | Clinics | Prices | Send request to the hospital

Best hospitals and doctors for long qt syndrome treatment abroad

Leading hospitals

Cost for treatment

Long GT Syndrome diagnosis
1826
Implantation of cardioverter- defibrillator to treat long qt syndrome
11180.2
Cardiac rehabilitation
0.00
The St. Vincentius Hospital Karlsruhe is a modern medical facility with a rich history and traditions. The medical complex is an academic hospital of the University of Freiburg, granting patients access to advanced university medicine and the very latest therapeutic developments. The hospital first opened its doors in 1851 and,
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University Hospital Ulm

University Hospital Ulm

Overall rating8.7 / 10
The University Hospital Ulm is an advanced medical complex that provides patients with high-class medical care using the very latest scientific achievements. The medical facility has been performing successful clinical activities for more than 40 years and has long earned an excellent reputation throughout Europe. The hospital r
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According to the authoritative Focus magazine, the Charite University Hospital Berlin occupies the first place in the rating of the top German medical facilities! The hospital is one of the largest and leading university medical complexes in Europe. The hospital in Germany provides modern diagnostics and treatment of patients, a
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According to Focus magazine, the University Hospital Heidelberg ranks among the top five hospitals in Germany! The hospital is one of the most advanced and reputable medical institutions not only in Germany, but throughout Europe. There are more than 43 specialized departments and 13 medical institutes, which cover all fields of
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According to the prestigious Focus magazine, the University Hospital RWTH Aachen ranks among the top German hospitals! As a maximum care university medical facility, the hospital guarantees patients first-class medical services combined with a respectful and human attitude. The hospital integrates all the modern options for the
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According to the reputable Focus magazine, the University Hospital Frankfurt am Main ranks among the top German medical facilities! The hospital was founded in 1914 and today is a well-known German medical facility, which combines rich traditions and scientific innovations. A medical team of more than 6,500 employees cares about
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University Hospital Jena

University Hospital Jena

Overall rating8.9 / 10
According to the prestigious Focus magazine, the University Hospital Jena regularly ranks among the top German medical facilities! The hospital has positioned itself as a multidisciplinary medical facility with a long history of more than 200 years. Since its foundation, the hospital has been constantly developing and modernizin
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According to the Focus magazine, University Hospital Erlangen ranks among the best medical facilities in Germany! The hospital is one of the leading healthcare facilities in Bavaria and offers top-class medical care distinguished by the close intertwining of clinical activities with research and training of medical students. The
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According to the Focus magazine in 2019, the University Hospital Würzburg ranks among the top national German hospitals! The hospital is one of the oldest medical facilities in Germany. The centuries-old traditions of first-class treatment are combined with the very latest achievements of modern evidence-based medicine and
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According to the Focus magazine, the University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich is regularly ranked among the best medical institutions in Germany! The hospital is the largest multidisciplinary medical facility, as well as a leading research and training center in Germany and Europe. The hospital is proud of i
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According to the authoritative Focus magazine, the University Hospital Duesseldorf ranks among the top Germany hospitals! The hospital is an excellent example of a combination of high-quality health care, research and teaching activities. With more than 50,000 inpatients and about 300,000 outpatients every year, the hospital is
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According to the prestigious Focus magazine, the University Hospital Halle (Saale) ranks among the top German medical facilities! The history of the hospital has more than 300 years, and during this time it managed to earn an excellent reputation not only in Germany, but throughout the world. The hospital positions itself as a s
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The University Hospital Marburg UKGM offers patients modern diagnostics and comprehensive therapy at the international level. As a maximum care hospital, the medical facility specializes in all fields of modern medicine ranging from ophthalmology to traumatology and dentistry. The main areas of specialization of the hospital are
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The University Hospital Rechts der Isar Munich was founded in 1834. It combines long traditions with the very latest advances in modern medicine. The medical facility includes 33 specialized departments and 20 interdisciplinary centers, where patients can receive top-class medical care in all medical fields. The hospital annuall
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University Hospital Bonn

University Hospital Bonn

Overall rating9.2 / 10
According to the authoritative Focus magazine, the University Hospital Bonn ranks among the top ten medical facilities in Germany! The hospital was opened on January 1, 2001, although in fact it inherits the medical facility, which operated at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Bonn. The hospital in Germany combin
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According to the Focus magazine, the University Hospital Muenster ranks among the top German hospitals! The hospital belongs to the most prestigious medical institutions in Germany. The hospital is distinguished by a high professionalism of its doctors, state-of-the-art technological equipment and the availability of the most ad
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Long QT syndrome is an increase in the length of the QT interval on the cardiogram, which is characterized by a tendency to develop ventricular arrhythmias. They can lead to fainting, cardiac arrest, or sudden cardiac death. The disease is congenital – it is associated with genetic mutations. Patients require lifelong treatment with beta blockers. Some of them require surgical treatment – left cervicothoracic sympathectomy, pacemaker and implantable cardioverter defibrillator placement.

Content

  1. Causes
  2. Why is the syndrome dangerous?
  3. Treatment
  4. Surgical treatment
  5. How to get treatment in the world's leading hospitals

Causes 

 

If the myocardial excitability is uneven, the QT interval on the ECG becomes longer. Repolarization is asynchronous, so it takes longer.

A prolonged QT interval can be a consequence of various diseases, including congenital ones. The primary syndrome occurs due to inherited gene mutations, while the secondary lengthening of the QT interval may be associated with the following:

  • Taking medications.
  • Electrolyte imbalance (insufficient levels of potassium and magnesium in the blood).
  • Hypothermia.
  • Hypothyroidism (decreased thyroid function).
  • Heart disease (myocardial infarction, heart defects and abnormalities). 

Why is the syndrome dangerous? 

 

Long QT syndrome leads to ventricular tachycardia (increased heart rate). It can cause ventricular fibrillation, which is a life-threatening condition that manifests itself in very rapid ventricular contractions.

The incidence of primary (congenital) long QT interval syndrome is 1 case per 10 thousand. In the United States, 4 thousand people die because of this condition every year. These are mainly young people or children. 70% of them at the time of death already experienced symptoms associated with long QT interval syndrome. In 30%, death occurs during the first episode of syncope (loss of consciousness). This happens most often during stress, exercise, or sleep.

If the patients who have cardiac arrest survive, they may develop neurological deficits. It is associated with a violation of the blood supply to the brain – while the heart is not working, the brain does not receive oxygen, which leads to its damage.

The syndrome is 2 times more common in women. Mortality under 10 years of age is higher in boys. After 10 years, the risk is the same for both sexes.

Diagnosis 

 

Most cases of long QT syndrome are diagnosed after a person experiences fainting or cardiac arrest. Less commonly, the diagnosis is made after an ECG.

The main way to confirm the diagnosis is ECG. To calculate the corrected interval, Bazett's formula is used. Additional diagnostic methods help exclude other cardiac pathologies: doctors perform echocardiography, MRI, and functional tests. The type of syndrome is determined by genetic tests.

Treatment 

 

The main group of drugs for the treatment of long QT syndrome are beta blockers. They prevent up to 70% of cardiovascular events. Basically, the risk of death during exercise is reduced, but not reduced during sleep and at rest.

All patients are recommended to limit intense exertion, stressful situations, and participation in sports events. The patients who have LQT1 should avoid swimming.

With LQT3, exercise rarely causes life-threatening arrhythmias. The patients are not restricted in physical activity. Beta blockers are less effective in this group of patients. Therefore, they are often used in combination with sodium channel blockers. 

In patients with long QT syndrome, epinephrine and sympathomimetic agents are not used to treat bronchial asthma. They are contraindicated in many other drugs that can provoke arrhythmia: antibiotics, antihistamines, antifungal, psychotropic and other drugs.

Recommendations apply not only to those with syncope, but also to asymptomatic patients. Even accidentally diagnosed long QT syndrome is a reason for life-long prescription of beta blockers.

Surgical treatment 

 

Surgical treatment options: 

  • Installation of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
  • Installation of a pacemaker (rarely used without the implantable cardioverter defibrillator).
  • Left cervicothoracic sympathectomy.

Indications for installing pacemaker and implantable cardioverter defibrillator: 

  • A history of cardiac arrest.
  • Continuing fainting during therapy with beta blockers.
  • High risk of cardiovascular events (type of LQT2 or LQT3 syndrome, the length of the QT interval is more than 500 ms). 

The installation of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators reduces the risk of death by more than 10 times in high-risk patients.

In patients with recurrent arrhythmias due to drug treatment, another treatment option can be used: sympathectomy. This is an operation, the essence of which is the surgical resection of the lower third of the third left cervical sympathetic ganglion, its aortic branch and thoracic sympathetic ganglia at the level of the second to fourth thoracic vertebrae on the left. The operation is performed without opening the chest. After it, the sympathetic innervation of the heart decreases, so the risk of life-threatening arrhythmias decreases.

This technique is more effective for LQT1 syndrome. In other variants of the disease, it is inferior in the effectiveness of implantation of a pacemaker and cardioverter defibrillator.

In children and adolescents, a combination of two techniques is possible. The first one is sympathectomy followed by the placement of the implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Previous surgery reduces the rate at which the device is triggered and improves the quality of life for patients.

How to get treatment in the world's leading hospitals

 

You can get diagnostics and treatment of long QT syndrome abroad. The Booking Health specialists will select a specialized cardiac surgery hospital for you and organize your trip. Booking Health is a medical tourism provider that has been organizing the treatment of patients from 75 countries in the world's leading hospitals for more than 10 years.

Both doctors and patient case managers working at Booking Health undergo regular training to gain new medical knowledge and provide effective medical and organizational assistance. Booking Health offers the following benefits for you: 

  • Selection of a specialized hospital with high treatment success rates. 
  • Direct communication with your attending physician. 
  • Preliminary preparation of the medical program, without repeating previous diagnostic examinations.
  • Provision of a favorable cost of treatment, without extra charges and additional coefficients for foreigners (saving up to 50%).
  • Doctor's appointment on the most suitable dates. 
  • Independent control of the medical care program at all its stages.
  • Assistance in buying and forwarding medicines.
  • Communication with the hospital after the completion of treatment.
  • Control of invoices and return of unspent funds.
  • Organization of additional diagnostic examinations or rehabilitation (if necessary).
  • Top-class service: booking hotels, plane tickets, transfers. 
  • Interpreting services and assistance of a personal medical coordinator.

Please leave your request on the Booking Health website, and a medical advisor or a patient case manager will contact you on the same day.

Authors: Dr. Nadezhda IvanisovaDr. Farrukh Ahmed