IMMENSTADT, Germany, Sept. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ --
For the first time ever in Germany a heart operation has been broadcast live to China. In the cardio-vascular centre in Oberallgau-Kempten in southern Germany, two patients were each given a new heart valve via a leg artery. The procedure was followed by video conference by around 50 doctors at Tongji University in Shanghai, one of China's leading educational institutions. This latest, patient-friendly procedure of percutaneous aortic valve replacement, which has aroused much interest amongst Chinese cardiologists, is particularly suitable for older patients.
The live case broadcast was part of a German Chancellor's Scholarship programme set up by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Heart surgeon Dr. Kefei Li from Tongji University is in Germany for a year on a visiting scholarship to the cardio-vascular centre in Immenstadt, part of the Kempten-Oberallgau Hospital Association. This group was set up in 2010 and looks after around 40,000 inpatients and 112,000 outpatients/patients requiring pre-admission care. Annual turnover is approximately 145 million euros. The clinic is managed by "Sana-Kliniken AG", one of the seven largest private hospital operators in Europe.
Throughout the broadcast the Chinese doctors had the opportunity to put questions to experts on the German side. The project is seen as a sign of possible closer cooperation between the cardio-vascular centre in Germany and Shanghai University.
Contact for further information: Christian Wucherer, PR and Marketing, Klinikverbund Kempten-Oberallgäu gGmbH, Telefon: +49(0)8323-910-340 or +49(0)831-530-3328, E-Mail: christian.wucherer@kliniken-oa.de
