Why is cardiac surgery in Germany considered the best in the world?
The development of cardiac surgery in Germany is a success story that began in 1896 in Frankfurt with the first suture of a beating heart by surgeon Ludwig Rehn to treat a puncture wound. After 130 years, cardiac surgery in Germany remains one of the most innovative and rapidly developing areas of medicine.
Thanks to their outstanding achievements, German cardiac surgery clinics and doctors are known throughout the world. Heart surgery in Germany guarantees receiving the most modern cardiac surgical care and an almost 100% chance of recovery.
World leadership in this branch of medicine is due to many factors. Cardiac surgery in Germany is:
- strong German cardiac surgery school;
- 78 specialized clinics equipped with the latest equipment;
- rapid introduction and widespread use of innovative techniques in cardiac surgery in Germany, primarily minimally invasive and catheterization procedures;
- interdisciplinary approach “one heart – one team”, which implies the treatment of the patient by several doctors, headed by a cardiac surgeon;
- Germany has one of the highest success rates for heart surgery in the world;
- high standards of cardiac surgery through projects such as the “National Quality Assurance System for the Treatment of Congenital Heart Defects” which ensures the safety of procedures for patients in Germany.
Despite the high cost of cardiac surgery in Germany compared to Turkey and Lithuania, where you can also receive treatment for heart diseases at the level of European standards, the country remains the No.1 “cardiology” destination in the world. The prices for heart surgery in Germany correspond to the world level of German cardiac surgery and treatment results.
What are the success rates for heart surgery in Germany?
According to the 2022 report of the German Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (DGTHG), the success rates for operations are:
- coronary artery bypass grafting – 97.5%;
- correction and replacement of valves, including transcatheter interventions – 96.9%;
- implantation of pacemaker and cardioverter-defibrillator – 99.1%.
At the Cleveland Clinic (USA), which is considered the best heart center in the world, the survival rate for coronary artery bypass grafting is 97.8%. With comparable results, the price of heart surgery in Germany is significantly lower than in American clinics.
Heart surgery in Germany: what justifies this choice?
Foreign patients choose German cardiac surgeons for heart surgery, taking into account the following advantages: This country has outstanding surgeons who can operate on patients who were denied treatment at home, for example, due to old age or the complexity of the case;
- All German cardiac surgery centers have the latest generation of hybrid operating rooms, so a cardiac surgeon can perform several complex procedures in one operation;
- many heart surgeries in Germany are performed through minimally invasive access and using robotics, which minimizes complications;
- early postoperative rehabilitation is practiced, so the period of hospitalization in the hospital is up to 10 days;
- The overall success rate for heart surgery in Germany, according to the DGTHG, is 97%;
- High-tech diagnostics of heart diseases and preoperative examinations are available;
- high professionalism of all personnel in cardiac surgery clinics;
- comfortable living conditions in cardiac centers and high-quality patient care;
- more than 30 years of experience in treating patients from Eastern Europe and Central Asia in cardiac surgery centers – doctors and staff work effectively with translators and managers of companies that organize cardiac surgery services in Germany.
The price of heart surgery in Germany is significantly higher than, for example, in more affordable cardiac surgery in India or Turkey. However, the number of foreign patients in German cardiac surgery clinics is not decreasing.
Cardiac surgery in Germany: what operations are in demand by patients from other countries?
The heart surgeries most requested by foreign patients in Germany include:
coronary artery bypass grafting (standard, minimally invasive, including robotic), with and without artificial blood circulation machine;- implantation of pacemakers and cardioverter-defibrillators, operation Maze (Labyrinth);
- correction of congenital and acquired heart defects, most often prosthetics and plastic surgery of heart valves;
- high-tech hybrid interventions on the heart and blood vessels and “rescue operations” (for example, transmyocardial laser revascularization);
- innovative surgical interventions (Ross, Ozaki operations, simultaneous replacement of several heart valves).
Cardiac surgery in Germany is in demand due to the possibility of undergoing catheterization (endovascular) surgical procedures as an alternative to surgery. Heart surgery in Germany can be replaced in many patients by such high-tech treatments as:Stentingg (angioplasty) of the aorta and coronary vessels;
- TAVI – transcatheter aortic valve implantation;
- TMVR – transcatheter mitral valve reconstruction using the MitraClip device;
- TTVR – transcatheter tricuspid valve repair using the TriClip device;
- radiofrequency ablation of arrhythmogenic zones using 3D mapping.
You can find out how much a specific heart surgery or procedure costs in Germany from the Experts Medical coordinator by filling out the application form on the website.
Why is it advisable to perform TAVI and TMVR procedures in German clinics?
The first TAVI operation was performed by German cardiac surgeons in 2005. Since 2007, transcatheter implantation of the aortic valve has been introduced in many clinics. Since 2013, more TAVI procedures have been performed for aortic valve replacement than conventional surgery.
Since 2022, this procedure has been used in German clinics, such as the University Hospital Essen, to treat aortic stenosis and aortic insufficiency. The success rate for these procedures is over 99%.
Cardiac surgeons at the Heart Center Leipzig at the Helios Clinic perform the TMVR MitraClip procedure in modern hybrid operating rooms with a catheterization laboratory. Every year they successfully carry out about 140 such interventions.
Which cardiac surgery clinic in Germany is considered the best?
The authoritative German magazine Stern and the MINQ research institute have been compiling lists of the best German hospitals for more than 20 years, taking into account criteria such as:
- reputation;
- availability of certificates;
- qualifications of specialists;
- quality of medical services;
- patient care.
For each indicator, the corresponding number of points is assigned and a rating is compiled from the 100 clinics that received the highest scores. In 2022, in the category “cardiac surgery in Germany,” the following were recognized as the best:
According to a ranking recently published by the authoritative American magazine Newsweek, the DHZB Cardiology Center in Berlin is also among the world’s top ten best cardiac surgery clinics.
You can find out how much a heart operation costs at the DHZB in Germany and organize treatment for heart diseases in this cardiac center using the Experts Medical service by leaving a request on the website.
How is pediatric cardiac surgery different in Germany?
The possibilities of modern pediatric cardiac surgery in Germany are perfectly demonstrated by the range of medical services provided in the Department of Congenital Heart Surgery at the Charité Clinic. In addition to standard operations to correct developmental anomalies of various parts of the heart in children, an interdisciplinary team of specialists performs innovative interventions that are not available in many other clinics:
- complex heart surgeries in newborns without blood transfusion, thanks to the use of a special heart-lung machine, which avoids transfusion-related complications;
- correction of complex heart defects, such as transposition of the great arteries or hypoplastic left heart syndrome – Neruda, Yasui, Senning-Rastelli, Nikaido operations, which save the life of a newborn;
- treatment of hypoplasia (underdevelopment) syndrome of the left heart;
- minimally invasive interventions without opening the chest, which avoids a large scar in children;
- repeated operations, including planned ones (in this case, during the first operation, special membranes are used that reduce the development of scars or protect individual implants, which is important during the second operation).
Since 2012, the data of all patients in this pediatric cardiac surgery clinic have been registered and transmitted to the European Society for the Surgery of Congenital Heart Diseases (ECHSA). They evaluate the quality of treatment and annually present the hospital with a certificate of compliance with international standards.
How much does heart surgery cost in Germany?
The cost of surgical treatment of heart disease in German clinics depends on many factors, primarily on the type and complexity of the operation. Heart surgery costs in Germany vary from $15,000 to $45,000. You can get accurate information about the cost of cardiac surgery in Germany in several clinics from different surgeons from the coordinating doctor of Experts Medical. Leave a request on the website, and a service specialist will contact you about this issue.
How to organize heart surgery in Germany?
For heart surgery in Germany to be successful, it is advisable to select a clinic and a cardiac surgeon to perform it using the Experts Medical service. Having received your application on the website, the coordinating doctor will help you make your choice, taking into account how much heart surgery costs in Germany in several leading specialized hospitals.
In addition, the consultant will provide you with a treatment plan at the selected cardiac center with prices for all medical services. With the support of the service, you will be able to purchase tickets, to obtain transfers and interpreter services. Specialists of Experts Medical will do everything necessary to ensure that cardiac surgery in Germany is organized at the highest level.
Erica Igonina, a medical author at Experts Medical, checked and approved the material.
Sources:
