Heart transplant: Doctors from Siegburg honored with an international award

On December 27, 2024, as part of the international congress "25 years of excellence in heart transplant" in Târgu Mureș, Romania, Dr. med. Borko Ivanov and Dr. Ali Hojeij from the Helios Clinic Siegburg awarded for their outstanding achievements in heart failure therapy and mechanical circulatory support therapy. The congress, which took place in November, celebrated the 25th anniversary of the first heart transplant in Târgu Mureș and was organized as part of the IUBCVT health days, whereby IUBCVT stands for "Institutul de Urgenţă pentru boli cardiovascular Şi Transplant".

The topics presented included a mechanical circulatory support program and a rare patient case in which the minimally invasive decommissioning of an art heart was treated. The results of this presentation underline that an artificial heart program can be realized in a comprehensive heart failure center. The congress attracted renowned doctors, surgeons and professors from Romania and Europe who exchanged the latest progress in cardiovascular medicine and surgery.

collaboration at an international level

The close connection between the cardiac and vascular centers in Siegburg and Târgu Mureș has been developed from surgical training in Bad Oeyenhausen since 2022. Dr. Dammrau, the senior vascular surgeon, has been cooperating with Romanian colleagues for several years. Regular participation of the center in Târgu Mureș in national and international congresses promotes knowledge exchange and the discussion of innovative techniques to improve cardiovascular care is stimulated.

dr. Ivanov emphasized that the award was received is confirmation of teamwork and that international cooperation is of great value.

In addition to the awards and presentations about mechanical circulatory support, it is important to look at the current state of heart transplant. According to information from bdc.de , the heart transplantation of the gold standard remains in the treatment of terminal heart failure. Despite progress in drug therapy, heart transplantation or permanent mechanical circulatory support in the final stage of the disease is required. The development of small electrically operated pumps has significantly improved the mechanical circulatory support in recent years.

In 2020, a total of 340 heart transplants were carried out in 21 clinics in Germany, whereby the allocation of the donor hearts is carried out by the Eurotransplant Foundation in the Netherlands. The waiting time for a donor organ is about 2 to 4 months depending on the blood group and height. Heart transplants are carried out in the orthotopic technology via median starotomy, and postoperative immunosuppression includes various drug treatments.

The survival rates after heart transplantation show that about 60% of patients survive after 10 years and 23% after 20 years. While there are still challenges such as complications of mechanical circulatory support, heart transplantation remains the best option for the treatment of heart failure in the advanced stage.