In a healthy heart, the left ventricle and left atrium relax to fill with blood from the lungs. Once filled, the left ventricle pumps blood to the body. In patients with chronic heart failure, however, the pressure in the left atrium increases. “The high pressure may be due to a weakened heart muscle that is unable to pump the blood into the body,” explains chief physician Prof. Alexander Staudt. “But it can also be due to a stiff heart muscle that can only stretch slowly to fill it with blood.”
In both cases, the high pressure in the left half of the heart causes blood to back up from the lungs, which leads to shortness of breath and exhaustion, especially during physical exertion. “We often see this in the patients who are ultimately admitted to the hospital,” says Prof. Staudt. In some patients, medication can relieve symptoms. However, many suffer because no effective treatment is available. With a new type of implant there is now hope for these patients.
In mid-May, the Schwerin cardiologists under the direction of senior physician Dr. Philipp Hammer applied the artificial shunt device to a patient for the first time. They pushed a catheter through a vein in the groin area into the heart, where they created an opening in the atrial septum. A small wire mesh has kept the hole open in the heart ever since. Dr. Hammer “This short-circuit connection within the heart can relieve the blood that has built up in the left atrium into the right atrium.”
The studies to date also show that, in addition to improving physical resilience, the number of hospital stays could be reduced. “This is good news for the affected patients in our region, who have not been helped so far. You regain a bit of quality of life, ”says Prof. Staudt, drawing a positive conclusion from the first operation.
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