What experts advise: A heart center for the south at the University Hospital in Ulm

Just recently, the news magazine “Focus” issued its annual recommendations for medicine. Among “Germany’s Top Doctors 2022” is once again the renowned cardiac doctor Professor Rottbauer, Medical Director of the Clinic for Internal Medicine II, with a focus on cardiac medicine, lung medicine, vascular medicine as well as intensive care and emergency medicine at the University Hospital Ulm. “It’s nice that we have once again received the awards for the university hospital and for our department,” says the heart specialist. “This renewed recommendation means lasting trust of patients and doctors in Ulm heart medicine. We not only value the award, but also what is behind it.” professional society surveys. The award-winning heart specialist attaches great importance to interdisciplinary, transparent and quality-assured clinical work. “As clinically active heart specialists, we always owe this to our patients. This is the only way heart medicine can bring the immense medical progress to the patient safely and effectively in an empathetic manner.”

Rapid developments in cardiac medicine

Under the leadership of Professor Rottbauer, a national heart center is currently being set up at the University Hospital in Ulm. Now the idea of ​​a heart center is “an ancient idea per se”. What is new, however, is the interaction of numerous new clinical experts and the responsible supra-regional coordination of institutions involved in heart medicine, from hospitals to resident cardiologists and general practitioners.

“The structure of heart centers of the future is now specified, assessed and certified by legislators to ensure the quality of treatment and the development of innovative therapies as well as to ensure internationally visible research excellence. “In addition to specialist departments for cardiology and heart surgery, there is also a recent need for a specialist department for pediatric cardiology, cardioanesthesia and pediatric heart surgery, as well as a department for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, embedded in highly specialized, standardized and certified clinical structures such as a “heart failure unit” (intensive care unit for heart failure patients), a “Chest Pain Unit” (emergency room and intensive care unit for heart patients) and a “Heart Valve Unit” (monitoring and treatment unit for heart valve patients) with supra-regional treatment and coordination mandate in order to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of all cardiac To be able to guarantee the highest medical standard for circulatory diseases.

It is self-explanatory that modern heart medicine continues to take place primarily in hospitals, as more and more numerous special teams and structures are required for the innovative treatment of the mostly acute, life-threatening and seriously ill heart patients. However, high demands are placed on the availability of cardiological services at the heart center, which has a central task in the regional and national coordination of heart medicine between surrounding hospitals and resident cardiologists and general practitioners.

An interdisciplinary one
Heart center for the region

In the new University Heart Center A wide range of competencies converge in Ulm. “We used to set the innovation structure ourselves, but now the legislator is picking it up.” “The old heart center will no longer exist,” says Professor Rottbauer. What is currently emerging is the interaction of different protagonists in the heart area, from family doctors to hospitals. “Here we have a national coordination task.” The integration of hospitals from the Alb-Donau/Lake Constance region, Swabia to Stuttgart, Tübingen, Augsburg and Würzburg provides access to the highly specialized structures, diagnostic and treatment facilities of the University Heart Center Ulm safe. “This is by no means to mean that we no longer have a need for the smaller areas,” emphasizes Professor Wolfgang Rottbauer. “These take on other tasks in the supply cascade. Follow-up care is given special attention, especially by established heart specialists and general practitioners.”

New areas of cardiac medicine are emerging

Joint departments are currently being created at Oberen Eselsberg for the treatment of all cardiovascular diseases.

“The “vascular medicine”, which consists of the heart and vascular surgeon as well as the vascular neurologist and radiologist. Neurology also plays a very central role in “heart failure”, as the scientist explains. Heart failure and skeletal muscle weakness can both be genetic. Children’s heart medicine is also strengthened by the further development of children’s cardiology and the establishment of children’s heart surgery. Furthermore, a team of cardiac insufficiency and tumor specialists would be created that would jointly take care of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of tumor therapy-induced cardiac insufficiency.

“From psychocardiology to epidemiology, the interdisciplinary heart center will in future map numerous new interdisciplinary areas.” Professor Rottbauer names geriatric heart medicine for the elderly as the last sector: “This is primarily about quality of life-centered medicine. “Especially in the case of older people, innovative and excellent heart medicine must strive for a different approach. Because here it is usually no longer just about life-prolonging therapies, but the focus of the older patient is on improving or maintaining quality of life.

A research outlook

Medical knowledge in heart medicine doubles at least once a year. Using the zebrafish model, which is able to regenerate heart tissue, he is now researching what is known as endogenous heart regeneration, “in order to understand how human heart cells can be stimulated to divide again after heart muscle damage such as a heart attack or myocarditis. This will change heart medicine dramatically.”