Mindelheim Hospital Treats Serious Heart Patients Locally
Patients with serious heart or vascular conditions in the Mindelheim area no longer need to be transferred to clinics in Augsburg or Munich, because the local hospital has acquired new equipment that allows treatment on site, Augsburger Allgemeine reported.
Privatdozent Dr. Dr. Roland Wensel, chief physician of cardiology at Mindelheim hospital, said the goal is to offer as broad and high-quality a range of care as possible.
Two Devices Prepare Calcified Vessels for Stents
The clinic now has two devices that better prepare patients with calcified vessels for stent insertion, Wensel said. Two new ultrasound devices also allow complex heart valve defects to be diagnosed locally.
The images can then be sent to specialized centers, which issue recommendations on next steps and, where necessary, perform surgery themselves.
Support Association Funded the Equipment
The new devices were acquired with support from the Förderverein der Kliniken, the clinics’ support association, Wensel said. The association also helped intensify communication with specialists in Augsburg: the cases are now discussed in regular video conferences.
Coronary CT Moved Up a Level Last Year
The coronary CT, which uses computed tomography to examine the coronary arteries, was raised to a new level last year, the chief physician said. Looking toward this examination focus, which is to be expanded further in the future new building, the Klinikverbund Allgäu invested in a particularly high-quality CT scanner.
Wensel also wants to establish a specialized outpatient clinic for patients with pulmonary hypertension, a condition in which blood pressure in the pulmonary circulation is pathologically elevated, making it hard for the right side of the heart to pump blood through the lungs. “Earlier, these patients were transplanted,” Wensel said. Today the condition can be treated with medication, but no clinic in the surrounding area offers the relevant diagnostics and treatment.
Wensel has been chief physician in Mindelheim for about a year and recently also became medical director there.
Questions Readers Ask About Mindelheim Cardiology
Who paid for the new devices?
The Förderverein der Kliniken, the clinics’ support association, supported the purchase, Wensel said.
Related reading