Month: February 2023

The Bulgarian doctors work in close collaboration with the clinics of some of the best specialists in Europe – Dr. Wassmer and prof. Röttinger in Germany and prof. Dreher in Switzerland

With its two orthopaedic clinics in Pleven and Burgas, ‘Heart and Brain’ is the leader in hip and knee joint replacement with 1204 alloplasties in 2022. This is according to the data published by the ‘Hospital Index’. A total of 2,732 orthopedic surgeries were performed in the two clinics, of which 136 were of particularly high volume and complexity.

“We have been working with navigational endoprosthetics for more than a year now. With the advent of robotic and computer-assisted surgery, navigational endoprosthetics has long since replaced classical surgical techniques. The advantage of this technology is that with the help of navigation, the implants are placed in the optimal position for each patient, according to his anatomy. The method guarantees long-term survival of the joint. At Heart and Brain Hospitals we also have highly trained teams who have specialised in Germany. This allows the routine application of the innovative approach, which is many times more patient-friendly”, comments Prof. Asparuh Asparuhov, head of the clinic in Pleven.

Bulgarian doctors work in close cooperation with the clinics of some of the best specialists in Europe – Dr. Wassmer and prof. Röttinger in Germany and prof. Dreher in Switzerland.

“Placing individual joint implants is routine for our team. The pre-operative 3D planning, the implant and the instruments for its placement are strictly individual. The method is less traumatic, the intervention time is shortened and the risk of intraoperative infection is reduced. It is no coincidence that Esculap Academy chose the clinics in Pleven and Burgas to hold a theoretical and practical presentation of advances in navigational endoprosthetics,” adds Dr. Petyo Bratoev, head of the department in Burgas.

The orthopaedics and traumatology clinic at the ‘Heart and Brain’ Centers of Clinical Excellence regularly seeks feedback and receives top evaluation from the patients who have undergone the procedure – this is the most important testimonial for the doctors’ work.

The world leading thoracic surgeon, prof. Diego Gonzalez Rivas, is in our country at the invitation of the Bulgarian Cardiac Institute. He is a specialist with exceptional experience, having operated in over 120 countries. His expertize covers lung transplantation, treatment of lung cancer, airway and mediastinal tumors.

Profs. Rivas and the team of thoracic surgeons of the ‘Heart and Brain’ Center of Clinical Excellence in Burgas performed the first uniportal robotic-assisted lung resection in Bulgaria. This minimally invasive technique is extremely suitable for patients with lung cancer, especially those with hard-to-reach lung tumors. The Uniportal RATS technique was introduced into the world by prof. Rivas only two years ago and Bulgaria is one of the few countries where it has been successfully applied.

The patient who underwent this intervention recovered extremely quickly. Within 24 hours her lung function was fully restored, all drains were removed, she begqn to eat, she was up on her feet and about to be discharged.

This type of surgery is performed in the framework of a masterclass to train Bulgarian thoracic surgeons. More than 20 specialists from the country had the opportunity to observe live, in real time via teleconference, the actions of the Heart and Brain team, to ask questions, hear the comments and explanations of the operating team.

Prof. Rivas: “Heart and Brain can measure up to the best high-tech hospitals in the world. The operating rooms are well equipped, including a state-of-the-art da Vinci four-arm robotic surgery robot. The activities of the thoracic surgery clinic are organized at the highest level, in an optimal and most efficient way. The knowledge and skills demonstrated by the team are worthy of respect. The ambition of the doctors to learn new surgical techniques are inspiring and motivating for me as a mentor. This hospital is a wonderful investment in your country’s healthcare.”

For over 16 years, the Bulgarian Cardiology Institute (BCI) has been improving access to highly specialised medical care and working around the clock to reduce mortality, particularly from cardiovascular disease and accidents. Improving the quality and prolonging the lives of Bulgarian citizens remains its primary task.

According to the NHIF data published in the “Hospital Index”, in 2022, 8373 interventional procedures for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, such as acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris, chronic coronary artery disease and cardiac arrhythmias, were performed in the seven cardiology clinics of BCI in Burgas, Varna, Pleven, Veliko Tarnovo, Shumen and Yambol. Patients treated in 2022 in BCI clinics represent 20% of all patients in Bulgaria with these diagnoses. The data confirms BCI’s leading position in treating cardiovascular disease patients across the country.

Of the 8373 patients treated, 1460 suffered an acute myocardial infarction. The registered in-hospital mortality rate for this serious life-threatening disease was 5.5% (81 deaths) and showed an almost threefold reduction in mortality compared to the period before 2007, when the massive development of interventional cardiology in the country began. The NHIS statistics confirm the significantly reduced mortality from myocardial infarction in the country in recent years. The clinical results achieved in the Institute’s cardiology hospitals are comparable to the best results at population level in the EU. BCI’s contribution to the development of medical science is also universally recognized at home and abroad.

The BCI is the only hospital structure that publishes the health outcomes achieved in Bulgaria from the treatment of acute myocardial infarction in media accessible to patients. There is no more impartial and accurate testimonial to the professionalism of our teams and the treatment of the patient than the results achieved and the trust earned.

After the Cardiac Surgery Clinic, the second clinic at Heart and Brain Pleven is the largest in Bulgaria for spinal surgeries where neuronavigation and 3D intraoperative imaging control are applied.

According to the analysis of data from the National Health Insurance Fund published in the “Hospital Index”, 1017 major spinal surgeries were performed in the past year 2022, of which 361 used state-of-the-art healthcare technologies with extremely low hospital mortality. This represents three times more than all other clinics in the country combined.

Prof. Thierry Karel, one of the stars in the world of cardiac surgery, is visiting Bulgaria at the invitation of the Bulgarian Heart Institute. His aim is to inspect the work of cardiac surgeons in ‘Heart and Brain’ Pleven and Burgas. Today, in an informal conversation with journalists from Burgas and the region, the issue of private investment in quality and highly specialized health services was raised. “Private investment in your country’s healthcare is very necessary and important. There are not very big profits from this type of investments, but they are necessary because they are invested in people, innovation, technology and in building new hospitals. Private health facilities are more capable and adaptable to respond quickly to the needs of the population.”

Since the launch of the Cardiac Surgery Clinic (July 2019), nearly 2,000 cardiac surgery interventions have been performed at , Heart and Brain’ Burgas. The hospital has clinics and departments with the highest level of competence in 13 medical fields. In one year, the hospital complex has emerged as a leader in healthcare, especially in specialties such as cardiology, cardiac surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, gastroenterology, urology, thoracic surgery, vascular surgery, orthopedics and traumatology, etc.

“Over the past days, we have exchanged ideas, discussed different approaches to the successful resolution of complex medical cases and laid the foundations for a long-term collaboration. In medicine, progress is a constant necessity.”

Soon after the launch of the new ‘Heart and Brain’ Burgas it became a centre of attraction for leading specialists, young doctors, postgraduate students and a reason for many health professionals to return to our country, including from Australia, Israel and Germany. The high expertise of the teams, the high-tech equipment and the quality of health care provided attract leading experts from Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, Japan, Israel, UAE etc. as mentors and lecturers on state-of-the-art techniques and treatment methods.

At the end of his visit to the country, Prof. Karel again remarked, “Heart and Brain is a world-class hospital. The operating theatres are excellently equipped, the set-up is impeccable. The knowledge and skills of the teams are impressive and the willingness to learn more and acquire new skills is remarkable. I am proud of my colleagues Assoc. Kornowski and Dr. Krasnaliev and their teams.”

Patients and doctors await world-renowned Swiss cardiac surgeon Prof. Thierry Karel.

At the invitation of the Bulgarian Cardiology Institute in mid-February, for two weeks, prof. Karel will consult and inspect the work of the teams in the leading Cardiac Surgery Clinics of the high-tech hospitals ‘Heart and Brain’ in Pleven and Burgas. Elective admissions include many severe cases of life-threatening conditions and complex operations with the cardiac and vascular surgery teams.

Having performed over 12,000 surgical interventions, Prof. Karel has been a bright star of world cardiac surgery in recent decades. He is, inter alia, the teacher and mentor of cardiac surgeon Prof. Tomislav Mihalevich, CEO and President of Cleveland Clinic, OH (for 20 years the No. 1 hospital in the world), who, in turn, as a speaker at the scientific conference “Spring Cardiology Days”, organized by BCI (Plovdiv, 2009) encouraged and supports decisively, and today, the development of Bulgarian invasive cardiology and cardiac surgery.

Prof. Karel is a member of numerous national and international professional societies, member of the Board of Directors of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (2018-2021), Editor of the European Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery (2011-2021).

For 25 years prof. Karel has been part of the leadership of leading scientific institutions. He is the author of more than 800 scientific publications. Recipient of the ‘Leonardo da Vinci Award’ for excellence in teaching and training of the European Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Freiburg.

He has participated in nearly 50 humanitarian missions worldwide.