"HEARTS Conference"

Heart health: early detection is key

17.3 million people die from cardiovascular diseases every year.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Tom)

In times of cost-cutting measures, staff shortages and quality discussions in medicine, early detection is becoming increasingly important. This is particularly important for the number one cause of death, cardiovascular disease. This is the subject of an interdisciplinary congress.

There is still a lot of room for improvement in the area of prevention and early detection in heart health. This year's "HEARTS Conference", an interdisciplinary event in Vienna that combines scientific exchange with social commitment, will focus on this topic as well as mental health and innovations. In an interview with "Krone Gesund", Prof. Dr. Daniel Zimpfer, Head of MedUni Vienna's Department of Cardiac Surgery, talks about the latest innovative approaches in cardiac medicine.

For example, in the treatment of the aorta. "We need to raise awareness of the fact that diseases of the aorta now affect 30% of patients in our department, above all enlargement or connective tissue weakness. New prophylactic operations have been developed for this. For around three years now, we have been able to place customized meshes around the aorta to support it and stop its growth. However, this is no longer possible at an advanced stage. With early treatment, however, consequential damage does not occur in the first place. That's why it's so important to have regular check-ups."

In the case of cardiovascular diseases, which are still the most common cause of death, the first suspected diagnosis can be made by simply "listening" with a stethoscope! More and more operations - heart valves, bypasses, pacemakers - can be performed using minimally invasive techniques, i.e. "keyhole surgery" and small incisions. Valve operations can also be performed via the inguinal vessels.

If the aorta ruptures, for example due to an aneurysm, there is a risk to life.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/maniki)

Major open-chest heart operations are less frequently necessary. According to Prof. Zimpfer, the aim is also to perform major operations in such a way that patients only have to stay in hospital for a few days and are able to return to normal life as quickly as possible. "In many cases, it is now possible to preserve the patient's own heart valve. This procedure is preferable to an implant," says the expert. "In the case of leaky valves, over 95% can be reconstructed, which leads to a normal life expectancy. However, the dysfunction should not be too advanced here either."

If the heart valves are too narrow, for example due to calcification, this is usually no longer possible and they have to be replaced. Heart failure and atrial fibrillation are also underestimated. We can certainly speak of widespread diseases. In an emergency, however, transplantation or an artificial heart (a heart-supporting system with the same probability of survival as a transplant) are still available.

Heart Congress

On November 29, the "HEARTS Conference" will take place in Vienna for the third time. The program of this modern heart congress includes the prevention of cardiovascular diseases through nutrition as well as the latest surgical techniques and innovations in heart surgery and cardiology.

In the evening, there will be a charity gala with musical star Maya Hakvoort, Lukas Perman and young stars from Leona König's talent factory "Die Goldene Note" at Palais Zögernitz in Vienna.

Cardiac surgery at Vienna General Hospital is the only department in the whole of Austria where everything - the complete spectrum of heart and main artery treatment in the chest area, heart replacement and heart support - is treated from newborns to old age. Thanks to the intensive research work at MedUni Vienna, new technologies can be made available at a very early stage. A team of specialists performs 8-10 heart operations every day. Every year, around 1600 major operations are performed, 400 of them on children, making a total of 3000.