Heart Center Leipzig: Back on the e-bike thanks to bypass surgery

22/04/2024 08:04

Around six million people in Germany suffer from coronary heart disease. Their heart is not supplied with enough oxygen because the blood flow to the heart is disturbed. Bypass surgery, which is traditionally performed on the open heart, can help. The situation is different at Heart Center Leipzig. Here, the operation is minimally invasive - gentler and safer for patients. Roland Grunert benefited from this surgical procedure and was quickly back on his feet.

Heart Center Leipzig is playing a pioneering role with this new type of bypass surgery. Only very few clinics in Germany offer this gentle procedure. In Leipzig, heart surgeons successfully perform the minimally invasive operation every day. A small incision in the chest is all that is needed. This restores the blood supply to the entire heart, revascularizing it.

The advantages for patients: Possible complications such as strokes and wound healing disorders are avoided. Blood loss and the risk of infection are lower, there is less post-operative discomfort and healing times are shorter. In addition, the innovative bypass surgery can be performed on almost all patients.

"Many satisfied patients benefit from our gentle bypass surgery. We are experienced in this procedure and achieve very good results - both medically and aesthetically. From the outside, it is only a minor procedure, but it has a major effect on health and quality of life."

Prof. Dr. med. Michael A. Borger

Medical Director, Director of the University Clinic for Cardiac Surgery (Head of Department Cardiac Surgery) | Heart Center Leipzig

The new bypass operation in detail

Behind all this is the procedure known as MICS-CABG (Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery/Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting), i.e. minimally invasive heart surgery for coronary artery bypass grafting.

The operation is performed using a mini-thoracotomy. Accordingly, the chest is made surgically accessible through a minimally small incision (approx. 4-5 cm). The bypass operation is performed completely arterially using both internal mammary arteries (IMAs). The aorta remains untouched thanks to the aorta no-touch technique. The operation is performed on a beating heart without a heart-lung machine (OPCAB/off-pump coronary artery bypass).

MICS-CABG is also an option for patients who were previously considered too risky due to their age or medical history. It goes without saying that bypass surgery should only be avoided in emergencies such as acute myocardial infarction or cariogenic shock. Otherwise, it is possible for all patients.

Satisfied patient

Roland Grunert, born in 1949, had specifically searched for the new procedure for his necessary bypass operation. Such clinics are few and far between. He found what he was looking for at Heart Center Leipzig, just 10 minutes from his front door. A stroke of luck. His stay there, including the successful operation, lasted just six days at the beginning of September 2023. "The operation went very well, as did the wound healing afterwards. Everything was just as I had hoped. Today I can ride 20 kilometers on my e-bike again. I couldn't do that before," says Roland Grunert. He is currently spending the winter with his wife in Spain in summer temperatures and enjoying life.

Top-10 worldwide in heart surgery

Heart Center Leipzig is currently one of the ten best hospitals in the world in the field of heart surgery. The ranking was compiled by the US magazine Newsweek in cooperation with the global opinion research institute Statista.

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