About the Department of Electrophysiology and Rhythmology at Heart and Diabetes Center NRW Bad Oeynhausen
The Department of Electrophysiology and Rhythmology at the Heart and Diabetes Center NRW Bad Oeynhausen offers the full range of diagnostics and treatment for heart rhythm disturbances (arrhythmias). Doctors have two advanced Electrophysiology Laboratories for cardiac catheterization with state-of-the-art medical equipment to diagnose and treat this pathology. The department performs more than 1,500 catheter-based cardiac ablation procedures annually. The department's team of doctors also specializes in treating dizziness and fainting. The medical facility has 31 beds for patient hospitalization. There is also a highly specialized Electrophysiology Outpatient Clinic. The department's specialists are distinguished by excellent, narrowly focused training and rich clinical experience, and therefore they regularly demonstrate high success rates in arrhythmia treatment. The German Cardiac Society (DGK) has certified the department to treat atrial fibrillation, one of the most dangerous heart rhythm disturbances. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Philipp Sommer.
Although many heart rhythm disturbances are not life-threatening, some of them may lead to unwanted and irreversible consequences. Electrocardiography is often enough to detect pathology. In some cases, long-term ECG recording, stress ECG, imaging diagnostic examinations, genetic tests, special cardiac catheter-based examinations, etc. may also be required.
As for the treatment, drug therapy is used for arrhythmias, as is the implantation of pacemakers and defibrillators, and ablation can also be performed. The department's specialists perform more than 1,500 cardiac ablation procedures annually and also implant about 500 pacemakers and more than 300 defibrillators. About 60% of implanted defibrillators have an additional electrode for cardiac resynchronization therapy. The department is one of the leading medical facilities in Germany specializing in treating arrhythmias, and it therefore admits many patients, including from abroad. The department's doctors use modern therapeutic procedures, which allow them to develop individual treatment tactics for each patient. The department operates a specialized outpatient clinic for controlling the functioning of devices for heart rhythm normalization.
Another focus of the department's work is the treatment of fainting (syncope). The diagnostics are based on modern methods such as cardiac ultrasound (echocardiography) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), all forms of ECG (resting, stress, long-term electrocardiography, continuous telemetry heart rate monitoring), and an orthostatic test. The treatment chosen is determined by the cause of the fainting. For example, in the case of so-called reflex syncope, the department's specialists prescribe conservative and non-drug methods. In other cases, pharmacotherapy or treatment with pacemakers and defibrillators may be effective.
The department's main clinical activities include:
- Diagnostics and treatment of heart rhythm disturbances (arrhythmias)
- Diagnostics
- Heart ultrasound scans (echocardiography)
- Electrocardiography
- Left heart catheter-based examination
- Cardiac CT scans
- Cardiac MRI scans
- Treatment
- Drug therapy
- Catheter ablation for heart arrhythmias
- Pacemaker and defibrillator implantation
- Cardiac resynchronization therapy
- Diagnostics
- Diagnostics and treatment of syncope
- Diagnostics
- Cardiac ultrasound scans (echocardiography)
- Electrocardiography
- MRI scans
- Treatment
- Drug therapy
- Pacemaker and defibrillator implantation
- Cardiac resynchronization therapy
- Diagnostics
- Other diagnostic and therapeutic options
Curriculum vitae
Higher Education and Postgraduate Training
- Since 1995 Human Medicine studies at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg.
- 11.1997 - 07.2000 Thesis defense with honors, Department of Cardiac Surgery at the University Hospital Freiburg. Subject: "Increased regional blood flow in the myocardium and contractile dysfunction after orthotopic heart transplantation – assessment using fluorescent microspheres in an experiment on domestic pig animal models".
- 27.08.1998 First State Exam.
- 08.2000 - 03.2001 Graduated from the Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris with fellowships in Gynecology, Pediatrics, and Cardiology.
- 08.2001 Second State Exam.
- 10.2001 - 09.2002 One-year practice in Internal Medicine (University Hospital Freiburg), Surgery (Cantonal Hospital Lucerne) and Pediatrics (University Hospital Freiburg).
- 11.2002 Third State Exam.
- 11.2013 Habilitation. Subject: "The role of imaging techniques in invasive electrophysiology".
Professional Career
- 01.2003 - 06.2004 Internship, Department of Cardiology at the Cantonal Hospital Lucerne.
- 07.2004 - 10.2007 Assistant Physician, Department of Rhythmology.
- 11.2007 - 10.2009 Senior Physician, Department of Rhythmology.
- 09.2009 Board certification in Cardiology.
- 01.2010 - 04.2013 Senior Physician, Department of Rhythmology.
- 05.2013 - 10.2018 Managing Senior Physician, Department of Rhythmology.
- 09.2018 Extraordinary Professorship, University of Leipzig.
- 11.2018 W3 Professorship for Electrophysiology, Ruhr University Bochum.
- Since 11.2018 Head Physician of the Department of Electrophysiology and Rhythmology at the Heart and Diabetes Center NRW Bad Oeynhausen.
Peer-Review Activities and Memberships in Editorial Boards
- Reviewer for numerous international journals including Europace, JACC, JACC EP, European Heart Journal, The Lancet.
- 04.2016 Columnist on Electrophysiology in the Cardiology Journal.
- 04.2016 Scientific Member of the Pacemaker Therapy and Electrophysiology Committee.
- 04.2019 Deputy Editor of the European Heart Journal Case Reports.
- 03.2018 Assistant Editor-in-Chief of Europace.
- 2018 - 2020 Board Member of the ЕАСВ Scientific Program.
Honors and Additional Qualifications
- 2001 Award for Gifted Young Professionals of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (DGTHG).
- 05.2010 - 05.2012 Training in the management of medical personnel and projects, Giessen-Friedberg University of Applied Sciences.
- 09.2012 Additional qualification from the German Cardiac Society (DGK) in the field of invasive electrophysiology and maintaining a normal heart rhythm.
- 11.2012 Fellow of the Heart Rhythm Society (FHRS).
- 11.2013 Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (FESC).
- 07.2015 Visiting Professor at Dalian University.
- 10.2015 Member of the Working Group on Rhythmology of the German Cardiac Society (DGK).
- 10.2017 Deputy Representative of the Working Group on Rhythmology of the German Cardiac Society (DGK).
- 10.2019 - 10.2021 Press Secretary of the Working Group on Electrophysiology.
- 12.2017 Fellow of the European Heart Rhythm Association (FEHRA).
- 31.08.2018 Extraordinary Professorship at the University of Leipzig.
- 11.2018 Invitation for the position of W3 Professor in Electrophysiology at the Ruhr University Bochum.
- 03.2020 Additional qualification in heart failure treatment, German Cardiac Society (DGK).
Photo of the doctor: (c) Herz- und Diabeteszentrum NRW, Bad Oeynhausen