EN
The German Heart Centre Munich (Deutsches Herzzentrum München) is a specialised university hospital devoted entirely to the heart and blood vessels, treating everyone from newborns with congenital defects to elderly patients. It covers cardiovascular medicine only, from diagnosis and catheter procedures to open-heart surgery and intensive care.
Today the German Heart Centre Munich, also written German Heart Center, is part of TUM Klinikum, the university hospital of the Technical University of Munich. For a patient from abroad, the point is that cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and paediatric cardiologists work in one place.
History of the German Heart Center: From 1974 to TUM Klinikum
The centre opened in 1974 as Europe’s first hospital devoted to a single organ, with cardiology, cardiac surgery and paediatric cardiology working under one roof for patients of every age. On 7 May 1981 the first successful heart transplant in Germany was performed here.
Since 1 August 2024 the centre has been part of TUM Klinikum together with Klinikum rechts der Isar, keeping its name and profile; its full name is now TUM Klinikum Deutsches Herzzentrum. As a university hospital it is linked to the medical faculty of the Technical University of Munich.
Clinics and Institutes
The centre consists of four clinics and three institutes:
- Department of Cardiovascular Diseases (Klinik für Herz- und Kreislauferkrankungen)
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery (Klinik für Herz- und Gefäßchirurgie)
- Department of Congenital Heart Defect Surgery and Paediatric Cardiac Surgery (Klinik für Chirurgie angeborener Herzfehler und Kinderherzchirurgie)
- Department of Congenital Heart Defects and Paediatric Cardiology (Klinik für angeborene Herzfehler und Kinderkardiologie)
- Institute of Cardiac Anaesthesiology (Institut für Kardio-Anästhesiologie)
- Institute of Laboratory Medicine (Institut für Laboratoriumsmedizin)
- Institute of Cardiovascular Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (Institut für kardiovaskuläre Radiologie und Nuklearmedizin)
The Department of Cardiovascular Diseases treats adults with coronary artery disease, rhythm disorders, heart failure and valve disease. Many procedures are done by catheter, a thin flexible tube guided to the heart through a blood vessel, usually from the groin, without a large chest incision. This is how a new aortic valve is implanted (TAVI) and a leaking mitral valve is clipped (MitraClip); the page on interventional cardiology explains these methods.
Cardiac surgeons perform bypass, valve and aortic operations and, for the most seriously ill, implant mechanical heart support systems or use ECMO, a machine that temporarily takes over the work of the heart and lungs. The two paediatric clinics treat congenital heart defects from newborns to adults. A separate page gives an overview of heart surgery in Germany. Acute heart attacks are treated around the clock in the centre’s catheter laboratory.
Heads of Department
Prof. Markus Krane has headed the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery since 1 September 2023 and is also the centre’s medical director. He focuses on valve reconstruction, including AVNeo: a new aortic valve built from the patient’s own pericardium, the thin sac around the heart. Prof. Krane has performed more than 200 such operations. The Department of Cardiovascular Diseases is currently led on an acting basis by its deputy directors, Prof. Michael Joner and Prof. Hendrik Sager. Prof. Isabel Deisenhofer is one of the heads of its Department of Electrophysiology, which treats rhythm disorders.
Prof. Peter Ewert directs the Department of Congenital Heart Defects and Paediatric Cardiology; his work includes catheter treatment in children and care for adults born with a heart defect. Prof. Jürgen Hörer directs the Department of Congenital Heart Defect Surgery and Paediatric Cardiac Surgery, which operates on patients from newborns to adults.
Why Patients from Abroad Come to the Centre
Patients from abroad come here with complex cases that need several specialists: complex valve disease, a repeat heart operation, a congenital defect in a child or adult, severe heart failure or a rhythm disorder that is hard to control. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, and in complex cases it matters that cardiologists and surgeons decide together.
The centre does not replace rehabilitation: after surgery, patients usually move to a separate rehabilitation clinic, so it is worth reading early how cardiac rehabilitation works. To compare hospitals across the country, start with the overview of heart treatment in Germany.
Frequently asked questions
Are children and adults with congenital heart defects treated here?
Yes, this is one of the centre’s main fields. Two clinics, for paediatric cardiology and paediatric cardiac surgery, care for patients from the first days of life and go on following those who grow up with a defect, as adults may also need a catheter procedure or a repeat operation.
Can a heart valve be treated without opening the chest?
In many cases, yes: some valve procedures are done by catheter, such as implanting a new aortic valve (TAVI) or clipping a leaking mitral valve (MitraClip). Whether this suits a patient is decided after examination. Otherwise, the surgeons can offer an operation, including repair of the patient’s own valve.
How much does treatment at the German Heart Centre cost?
There is no single price: the cost depends on the diagnosis, the procedure and the length of stay. After reviewing the records, the hospital draws up a preliminary cost estimate (Kostenvoranschlag). If the plan changes during treatment, for example because an extra procedure is needed, the final bill may differ.
Do I need to speak German to be treated here?
No. Your records are translated into German in advance so that the centre’s doctors can review them, and a medical interpreter arranged by AlenMed attends the consultations. You and your family can ask questions in your own language and understand what the doctor proposes. Reports issued in German can also be translated.
How AlenMed Arranges Treatment at the German Heart Centre
It starts with the records: discharge letters, ECG, echocardiography, coronary angiography and CT or MRI images. AlenMed translates them into German and sends them to the responsible clinic of the centre, whether adult cardiology, cardiac surgery or paediatrics. The doctors then give a preliminary assessment of whether admission is needed and which procedure is possible.
Based on it, the hospital draws up a preliminary cost estimate (Kostenvoranschlag), and payment goes directly to the hospital. After the advance payment it issues the invitation needed for a medical visa, while AlenMed coordinates the dates and arranges an interpreter for consultations. The exact address and directions come with the invitation, and coordinators from the company’s office in Munich stay in touch throughout.
This material is for reference only and is not an offer. The treatment plan is decided by the doctor at a face-to-face consultation.