Abstract
Based on a longtime voluntary registry, founded by the German Society for Thoracic
and Cardiovascular Surgery (GSTCVS) in 1980, well-defined data of all cardiac, thoracic
and vascular surgery procedures performed in 78 German heart surgery departments during
the year 2021 are analyzed. Under more than extraordinary conditions of the further
ongoing worldwide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a total of 161,261
procedures were submitted to the registry. In total, 92,838 of these operations are
summarized as heart surgery procedures in a classical sense. The unadjusted in-hospital
survival rate for the 27,947 isolated coronary artery bypass grafting procedures (relationship
on-/off-pump 3.2:1) was 97.3%. For the 36,714 isolated heart valve procedures (19,242
transcatheter interventions included) it was 96.7 and 99.0% for the registered pacemaker
and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) procedures (19,490), respectively.
Concerning short- and long-term circulatory support, a total of 3,404 ECLS/ECMO implantations
and 750 assist device implantations (L-/ R-/ BVAD, TAH), respectively were registered.
In 2021 329 isolated heart transplantations, 254 isolated lung transplantations, and
one combined heart–lung transplantations were performed.
This annually updated registry of the GSTCVS represents voluntary public reporting
by accumulating actual information for nearly all heart surgical procedures in Germany,
constitutes advancements in heart medicine and represents a basis for quality management
for all participating institutions. In addition, the registry demonstrates that the
provision of cardiac surgery in Germany is up to date, appropriate, and nationwide
patient treatment is guaranteed all the time.
Keywords
heart valve surgery - congenital heart disease - coronary artery bypass grafting -
aortic surgery - heart-lung-transplantation - COVID 19
