From pioneering to clinical routine
Cardiovascular desease
A heart disease is a serious widespread illness, that is rapidly increasing due to our current lifestyle habits. In the year 2017 over 20'000 people died due to cardiovascular diseases[1]. The hospital stays due to those diseases was over 100’000[2]. The most common problems are aortic stenosis It's a narrowing exit of the left ventricle of the heart, which causes problems , mitral insufficiency, coronary heart diseases and cardiac arrythmias. Without treatment the symptoms can influence the quality of and reduce the life expectation.
That is why it is so important, to do a check-up as soon as possible if you think you might have a heart problem. We are specialised in the following surgeries and treatments: Atrial fibrillation – ablations, LAA closure, pacemaker, bypass surgery, aortic valve replacement and mitral valve repair.
Second opinion
A second opinion helps to get a better understanding about the upcoming heart surgery, and also to understand the proposed path even better. Often it happens very quickly and patients are unsure about the need for surgery. But there are also personal aspects that make it possible to build bridges in this situation and to get even more confidence in the operation or the procedure. We are happy to advise you - this is also completely confidential.
Treatments
Bypass Surgery
For a long time, the bypass operation was the most frequently performed heart surgery. Until the stents A tube that keeps the passageway of a vessel opened were implemented. Stents enable people with a heart disease in the beginning stage to get a non-invasive treatment. Nevertheless, the bypass surgery is still the gold standard. With the body’s own vessels, a redirection is created, to bypass the blocked bloodstreams. This surgery delivers the best long-term results. If you need stents or a bypass surgery will be decided within the HeartTeam.
Aortic Valve Replacement
The aortic stenosis is treated with an aortic valve replacement. This is an approved method. We can either create a biological valve or use a mechanical one. Most surgeries can be done in a minimally invasive way with a small cut.
Mitral Valve Repair
When the mitral valve starts leaking it is called mitral incompetence. This is a very common disease, 20% of the population has a heart murmur caused by mitral incompetence. Most of the time there is no need for a correction, but if a surgery is necessary, the mitral valve repair delivers best results - we perform these in a minimally invasive fashion..
Atrial Fibrillation – Ablations
Our core competence is the treatment of atrial fibrillation. In Europe over 6 Million people suffer from atrial fibrillation, those people have a five-time higher risk of having a stroke[2]. The heart & rhythm centre offer various treatment methods. Normally we start with medication, followed by the right ablation. This can either be a catheter or a surgical ablation. Newly there is also the hybrid-ablation, where two technics are combined into one ablation
LAA Closure
People that suffer from atrial fibrillation normally need to take strong medication for blood thinning. If that is undesired or not possible due to complications or incompatibility, we can perform a LAA closure. After the LAA closure medication is no longer required.
Pacemaker
Prof. Salzberg has over 20 years of experience with the implantation of pacemakers. Because of the cooperation with other specialists the heart & rhythm centre has a unique expertise in this area. We offer single-chamber, dual-chamber and three-chamber pacemaker as well as HIS-Pacing and the newest CRT-system.
Pioneering work of Prof. Salzberg and Dr. van Boven
For over 12 years the two heart surgeons have been working together. Dr. van Boven used to be Dr. Prof Salzberg’s mentor and helped him to implement the minimally invasive method in Switzerland. They were the first to insert a heart clip worldwide. Now Dr. van Boven is Dr. Prof. Salzberger’s partner in the heart & rhythm centre.
Heartteam
Our HeartTeam approach for cardiac arrhythmias is beneficial for the entire field of heart surgery. We discuss the best method for a patient in a team of specialist, to make sure, we find the best option. Our heart surgeries can take place at the private clinic in the Park, the clinic Hirslanden or the city hospital Triemli (STZ). These cooperations enable us to perform surgeries with modern infrastructure and ressources, yet we can still keep our individual treatment concept.
Einzelnachweis