Heart team

Once a diagnosis of structural heart disease has been made, individualised treatment is important. This is because it is not only the clinical diagnosis, such as mitral valve regurgitation, tricuspid regurgitation or aortic valve stenosis, that differ in their treatment options. In addition, important influencing factors such as the stage of the disease, other existing medical conditions or age can also be decisive for the further medical procedure.

What is a heart team?

So-called heart teams are formed so that the individual condition of those affected can be taken into account in the best possible way. These teams are a group of experts from different specialist areas. The members of a heart team can vary depending on the heart valve therapy. In the case of treatment using cardiac catheterization, for example, interventional and non-interventional cardiologists, anaesthetists and cardiac surgeons are represented alongside internists.

Cardiac Team — Once a diagnosis of structural heart disease has been made, individualised treatment is important. It is not only the clinical pictures, such as mitral valve insufficiency, tricuspid insufficiency or aortic valve stenosis, that differ in their treatment options.

What does a heart team do?

Each of these team members contributes their own specialist knowledge based on the current guidelines for the treatment of structural heart disease. The result is a multidisciplinary team of experts that provides advice on treatment from different perspectives. The heart team is completed by the patients themselves. The specialised team only decides on the individual treatment of the existing heart valve disease together with those affected.
In this way, a heart team ensures optimal care before and after treatment, with the focus on the patient. The overarching aim of this consultation method is to fully restore the individual's quality of life.