offerings cardiac surgery
Herzchirurgie

Artificial Heart Implantation

Ein Kunstherz ist eine elektrische Pumpe, welches Blut aus dem Herzen in den Körper pumpen kann. Mit der Implantation können wir somit die Symptome einer starken Herzinsuffizienz lindern.

Cardiac Insufficiency

[Translate to Englisch:] Herzuntersuchung - Echokardiographie

Cardiac insufficiency, also commonly referred to as heart failure, is the increasing inability of the heart to work efficiently. This goes hand in hand with a loss of physical strength and an increasing lack of resilience. It may be caused by diseased coronary arteries, an inflammation of the myocardium, or changes to the muscle structure of the heart, which can cause it to work less efficiently. If medication is no longer working, the implantation of an artificial heart may be one treatment option worth considering.

Artificial Heart Implantation

What is an Artificial Heart?

An artificial heart is an electric pump which can distribute blood from the heart around the body, thus alleviating the symptoms of cardiac insufficiency. The artificial heart is implanted in the pericardium and draws blood from the left ventricle into the artificial heart, before pumping it into the aorta. In this way, it supports and relieves pressure on the left ventricle of the heart. That is why its technical name is a 'left ventricular assist device' (LVAD). A cable which exits the body through the skin connects the artificial heart to a wearable control and battery unit.

What Happens During an Artificial Heart Implantation?

 Before an artificial heart can be implanted, a detailed diagnosis must first be carried out, and the patient questioned to assess his or her suitability as a candidate for implantation. After all of the test findings have been evaluated, a decision is made at an interdisciplinary meeting about whether an artificial heart implantation might be a viable option. Once you have been told that implantation is right for you, you will be given plenty of information and told about how living with an artificial heart will affect you. After all of your questions have been answered, your operation will be scheduled.

Once all of your paperwork and tests are complete, you will discuss the operation you require with the surgeon and the anesthetist. The operation will take place the next day under general anesthesia. A minimally invasive procedure is used to access your heart, which involves partially opening your chest. The artificial heart can be implanted with the heart beating or after it has been stopped. The surgeon will decide how best to proceed. The artificial heart will then be sutured to the left ventricle, before being connected to the aorta. To complete the operation, the connecting cable to the control unit is led outside the body. Once the artificial heart has been tested to ensure it is functioning well, the chest and skin are carefully closed. When the anesthetic wears off, you will wake up in the intensive care ward. For the next 24 hours you will be monitored there, before being transferred to the IC-B recovery room, which specializes in patients who have received an artificial heart. After a period of recovery, you will be transferred to a general ward. When a cardiac support system has been successfully implanted, you will receive a high level of care and support at our hospital's Cardiac Insufficiency, Transplantation and VAD outpatient department, where patients receive regular consultations and can talk to an expert.

 

The Heart Center in Leipzig is a center of excellence for the surgical treatment of cardiac insufficiency.

As a leading artificial heart therapy and heart transplantation center, our highly qualified surgical team can offer every form of innovative and evidence-based therapy available, as well as an intelligently designed cardiac insufficiency infrastructure with all of the state-of-the-art ICU treatment options. Our important expertise in the field, which keeps us abreast of the latest findings, means that our interdisciplinary team and our colleagues from cardiology can discuss which of the conservative, interventional and surgical treatment options available to state-of-the-art cardiac insufficiency surgery is best suited to an individual patient, and suggest how treatment should proceed. In addition, our patients can take advantage of our interdisciplinary Cardiac Insufficiency outpatient department and surgeon-led Artificial Heart and Heart Transplantation outpatient department, as well as having access to a 24h hotline.