Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery - Heart and Diabetes Center NRW Bad Oeynhausen

About the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Heart and Diabetes Center NRW Bad Oeynhausen

The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Heart and Diabetes Center NRW Bad Oeynhausen offers all surgical methods for treating diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and chest organs. The department specializes in minimally invasive interventions on the heart and blood vessels, coronary artery bypass grafting, the treatment of heart arrhythmias, the use of artificial heart assist systems, and transplant medicine, including heart transplants, lung transplants, and heart-lung transplants. More than 2,500 transplants have been performed in the department since 1989. The department's cardiac surgeons often perform complex surgical interventions on the heart, as a result of which they have exceptional experience and save the lives of people with severe pathological changes in the heart. The specialists always strive to select the most sparing surgical techniques and provide their patients with high-quality treatment outcomes. For example, almost all operations for heart valve replacement and repair are performed using minimally invasive techniques. Coronary artery bypass grafting is also often performed using low-traumatic techniques, that is, without a thoracotomy. With more than 3,600 operations every year, the department ranks among the Cardiothoracic Surgery Centers with the greatest clinical and surgical experience in the world. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Jan Gummert.

Particular attention in the department's clinical practice is given to operations on the heart and coronary arteries. The specialists at the medical facility perform both conventional open interventions and technically complex minimally invasive operations to treat diseases in this group. The most requested interventions include heart valve repair and replacement (operations on the aortic, mitral, tricuspid, and pulmonary valves) and coronary artery bypass grafting. The department's cardiac surgeons prefer effective but as sparing surgical techniques as possible, and therefore it is possible to perform minimally invasive surgical treatment in most cases. A surgical treatment technique is determined for each patient individually and depends on the clinical case, age, and comorbidities. The department's specialists annually perform more than 2,000 interventions to replace heart valves. During such operations, mechanical and biological prostheses can be used. In addition, the department became the first in Germany to obtain a license for the production of vascular valvular homografts in 2003. This license was extended in 2008, and the department also has the right to manufacture arterial and vein homografts now. Vascular valvular homografts are of particular value in the treatment of patients with infectious lesions of the heart valve and large blood vessels extending from the heart.

The department's surgical team demonstrates excellent results in the field of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and is certified by the German Cardiac Society (DGK). The TAVI procedure is indicated for patients with severe aortic valve stenosis requiring valve replacement surgery, but the risks of classical heart valve replacement are high. Comprehensive diagnostics and surgical planning precede the operation. The surgical procedure is performed in a hybrid operating room that is equipped with systems for both classical heart surgery and catheter-based interventions. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation does not require any incision in the sternum or the use of a heart-lung machine. A biological prosthesis is delivered using a catheter, which is inserted through the inguinal artery and aorta. As of today, the TAVI procedure is an innovative and highly effective treatment method offered only by advanced cardiac surgery clinics.

Patients with heart arrhythmias are regularly treated in the department. The interdisciplinary working group of the department, consisting of cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and specialists in transplant medicine, offers patients with arrhythmias modern cardiac resynchronization therapy using pacemakers and defibrillators. As a rule, a pacemaker and a defibrillator are implanted under local anesthesia using low-traumatic techniques. After having a pacemaker or defibrillator implanted, patients lead a full life, but they need regular check-ups to make sure the device is working properly.

The department is one of the few in Europe that specializes in heart, lung, and lung-heart transplants, as well as ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation. A heart transplant is the last-line treatment for patients with severe heart failure. This operation is one of the most complex surgical interventions, so it is preceded by comprehensive diagnostics and an assessment of the risks and benefits of such treatment. A lung transplant may be the only effective treatment for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, sarcoidosis, and other pathologies. Lung transplants are also quite complex, and surgeons accurately examine patients before making a final decision on the surgical intervention. The department's cardiac surgeons have been engaged in transplant medicine since 1989, so patients confidently trust them with the most precious thing of all, namely, their lives.

It is worth noting that the department has special experience in treating patients with heart disease caused by diabetes mellitus. Coronary arteries are very often affected in patients with diabetes mellitus, so a great number of such people seek medical attention at the department (this is almost a third of all patients who require heart surgery). Patients in this group receive cardiac medical care with the involvement of experts in diabetes mellitus.

The department's range of surgical services includes the following options:

• Coronary artery bypass grafting with and without a heart-lung machine
• Heart valve surgery 
  • Surgery for aortic valve stenosis and insufficiency, including the innovative TAVI procedure for severe forms of aortic valve stenosis
  • Surgery for mitral valve stenosis and insufficiency
  • Surgery for tricuspid valve stenosis and insufficiency
  • Surgery for pulmonary valve stenosis and insufficiency
• Surgery for heart arrhythmias
  • Pacemaker implantation
  • Defibrillator implantation
  • Cardiac resynchronization therapy
• Transplant surgery and heart support
  • Heart transplant
  • Lung transplant
  • Heart-lung transplant
  • Ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation
• Other surgical treatment methods for diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and chest organs