Specialists from the fields of cardiology, cardiac surgery and vascular surgery work together at a heart center to form a highly specialized center of excellence tailored to the heart.
Here you will find selected heart centers and further information.
At a heart center, the focus is on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the heart and directly related areas. Here, patients receive help with cardiac surgery, invasive (e.g. coronary artery examinations) and non-invasive cardiology (especially ECG) and vascular diseases. As a rule, rehabilitation following a necessary operation is also possible directly at the clinic.
Structure of the heart (©abhijith3747 Adobe Stock 93001580)
Depending on the heart center, different specializations are offered in patient care. In general, however, the following heart surgery procedures are most commonly offered at a heart center:
Preventive surgery is often necessary, particularly in the case of an aneurysm, a pathological widening of the aorta, commonly known as the main artery. This is because there is a risk of the aneurysm rupturing, which would lead to massive bleeding and therefore quickly result in death.
Cardiology specialists at a heart center can usestents to surgically treat such a vessel and reduce this risk.
Sooner or later,narrowed coronary arteries usually lead to symptoms of angina pectoris ("tight chest") or even a heart attack.
Often the only remaining way to prevent this is bypass surgery. This involves bridging the narrowed coronary arteries by means of a cross-connection in front of the actual damaged area. This ensures a sufficient supply of blood and oxygen to the heart muscle and the initial symptoms disappear again.
However, narrowing due to deposits can occur not only in the coronary arteries, but also within the carotid arteries(carotid stenosis), which supply the brain with blood and oxygen. If too little of this reaches the brain, there is a risk of stroke. In cardiac surgery, such vascular constrictions are treated using small "tubes" known as stents. They keep the vessel open and allow the blood to continue to flow.
Vascular surgery deals with the treatment of diseases of arteries and veins, such as wear and tear or hardening of the arteries(arteriosclerosis) as well as various forms of circulatory disorders.
Nowadays, damaged heart valves can be surgically replaced(heart valve replacement) or surgically repaired(heart valve reconstruction) with the help of heart surgery at a specialized heart center in order to restore heart function.
Cardiac arrhythmias or the dreaded atrial fibrillation increase the risk of strokes and sometimes require surgery as the disease progresses.
Using a special cardiac catheter , the heart surgeon will then work directly on the heart tissue in order to obliterate pathologically altered foci of excitation in the heart muscle. This prevents these areas from stimulating the heart muscle to contract irregularly. The aim of the procedure is to enable the heart to return to a "normal" rhythm in a natural way.
Modern pacemakers are versatile "auxiliary motors" for regulated heart function. They not only stimulate a heart that is working too slowly, but also intervene in the event of palpitations or cardiac insufficiency.
However, cardiac surgery at a specialized heart center is also required for congenital heart defects. For example, there are atrial septal defects, which are essentially a congenital hole in the cardiac septum. In order to prevent the formation of mixed blood with a lower oxygen content, atrial septal defects are surgically closed at the heart center.
Heart centers are usually run by cardiologists and cardiac surgeons. However, angiologists, physiologists, anaesthetists and other non-medical professionals are also involved in order to provide the best possible care for heart patients as part of an interdisciplinary team.
Internists who deal with diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs are called hematologists. The field of hematology includes anemia and blood coagulation disorders. The coagulation system, as the blood clotting system is called, can be disturbed if, for example, hematomas (bruises) and bleeding occur frequently. Hematologists are then primarily concerned with platelets and blood vessels.
The more common blood disorders includehemophilia and an excessive tendency to clot, thrombophilia, which is to a certain extent the opposite. However, malignant diseases such as acute and chronic leukemia, malignant changes in the lymph nodes and lymph nodes also fall within the scope of hematology. Hodgkins' disease is particularly common here.
The most common diagnostic procedures in haematology are blood tests and bone marrow punctures - i.e. the removal of bone marrow tissue. Lymph node biopsies - the removal and analysis of lymph node tissue - also fall under the remit of hematologists. Hematology overlaps with other medical disciplines - namely oncology and transplantation medicine - particularly in the case of malignant diseases of the blood or the hematopoietic system.
