Outpatient Treatment

In order to present to the outpatient Department for Valvular and Structural Heart Disease, you need to be at least 18 years old and have one of the following heart conditions:

• Valvular heart disease (also after surgical treatment)
• Congenital heart disease (also after surgical treatment)
• Hypertrophic-obstructive cardiomyopathy

In every outpatient consultation we aim for comprehensive diagnostics. The main diagnostic methods are clinical examination, ECG, and echocardiography. In a few cases, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are also required. In almost all patients, pharmacological therapy is initiated first. Therefore, a variety of drugs are available to modulate pre- and afterload, lowering the hemodynamic consequences of heart disease. This treatment improves the general health and physical fitness. Individual advice is given regarding activities of daily living and preventive measures (daily amount of fluid intake, exercise capacity, endocarditis prophylaxis, etc.). Treatment effectivity is evaluated by follow-up examinations. If this management, also known as “conservative therapy“, is not sufficient and if the disease progresses, additional therapeutic approaches requiring in-patient treatment are available.



In-Patient Treatment

In-patient treatment is not only mandatory in severe cases and in patients with acute symptoms, but also to perform certain diagnostic tests and advanced treatments:

• Diagnostic left and right heart catheterization
• Percutaneous catheter-based interventions
• Heart surgery (Department of Cardiac Surgery)

Prior to admission, detailed and individual advice is provided on the advantages, disadvantages, alternative methods, prerequisites, risks, and issues of long-term care and follow-up and the distinct therapeutic approaches.