The German Heart Center Berlin Germany, Berlin
- Academic clinical hospital
- The clinic conducts scientific research and clinical studies
German Heart Institute Berlin was founded more than 30 years ago and has become recognized as a national leader in the field of cardiac medicine. Its reputation is based on the trust of thousands of patients, strong research traditions, and extensive experience of its practitioners. This resulted in a very high survival rate of 98% for patients with congenital heart diseases.
The core expertise areas of the German Heart Institute Berlin include diagnostics and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, as well as heart and lung transplants. The clinic performs about 100 organ transplantations annually with consistently high success rates.
More about the clinic
The German Heart Center admits 14,000 outpatients and up to 6,500 inpatients every year. Over 11,600 heart surgeries and 2,500 heart transplants have been held at the clinic since it was founded. The center has 8 surgery rooms, including 2 hybrid rooms where heart surgery and general surgery can be performed at the same time. One of the rooms is equipped with an X-ray system in order to carry out endovascular surgery. There are 1,300 people working at the clinic, including 180 doctors.
The German Heart Center actively cooperates with other research and medical organizations, namely the Charite clinic. It also researches artificial heart development, stem cell use, and creation of synthetic cells that can sustain the human body. The clinic is known for using AI technology to plan and monitor surgeries.
The clinic treats both adults and children: in 2012, it opened a specialized Pediatric Department of Congenital Heart Surgery. This is one of the first organizations in Germany to have a separate pediatric surgery department.
The main research spheres of German Heart Center Berlin are: developing diagnostics and treatment methods, pulmonary hypertension treatment, pulmonary remodeling and heart remodeling, neuroprotection and myocardial protection during surgery, and the use of hybrid technology.
Achievements
Certified as Hypertension Center by the German Hypertension League.
Chest Pain Center Certification by the German Cardiology Society.
Certified Interregional Center for Adults with Congenital Cardiac Defects.
Interregional Heart Failure Center certified by the German Heart Society and the German thoracic, cardiac and vascular surgery.
The most effective surgeries and procedures
Heart valve replacement.
Artificial heart implantations.
Surgeries on adults with congenital heart defects (98% success rate).
Surgeries on children with congenital heart defects (99% success rate).
Catheter heart procedures.
History
On April 29, 1983, the Senate of Berlin voted to establish a regional heart center. In late 1985, construction works ended. The clinic was officially opened on January 1, 1986.
The clinic held its first heart surgery on March 26, 1986, and the first heart transplant surgery on April 18, 1986. In just 18 months, on September 27, 1987, the center marked its 100th heart transplant surgery.
The clinic was the first one in the world to use an artificial heart transplant as a temporary substitute for a child waiting for a donor heart. It was also the first hospital in the world to recover the patient's own heart within 160 days after temporarily replacing it with an artificial heart.
On March 1, 2008, the clinic opened the first hybrid surgery room in Berlin, which allows to perform general surgery and heart surgery at the same time. The room is equipped with an HD video system, an X-ray transparent operating table and a complete angiography section. On August 1, 2012, the clinic established a separate Department of Congenital Heart Surgery led by pediatric heart surgeon Dr. Joachim Photiadis.
Services
The clinic's historical building hosts modernistic interiors. It offers cozy patient rooms, rest areas and easily accessible services. The cafeteria offers a wide variety of meals, including vegan and other specialty diets. WiFi access is available throughout the clinic. Also there is a convenience store. The clinic also offers psychological counseling for its patients and their loved ones. The international department helps foreign patients feel comfortable.
Location
The clinic is located in a historic building at the Augusteburgplatz (Wedding) in Berlin. This neighborhood is crucial to the medical infrastructure of Berlin, and a host to many of its research facilities, institutes and clinics. These include some of the largest Berlin university clinics, such as the Robert Koch Research Institute and the Cardeotech Academy. The Wedding district has more than that to boast. How about five splendid parks and the Plötzensee lake. The district is near the downtown, yet it is cozy and quite, and ideal for rest and restoration.
