Interventional Cardiology

Andreas Grüntzig Cardiac Catheter Laboratories

The University Hospital Zurich is the birthplace of modern interventional cardiology. In 1977, Andreas Grüntzig performed the world’s first balloon dilatation (angioplasty / PTCA) of a coronary vessel in the cardiac catheter laboratories named after him, revolutionizing the treatment of heart attacks and chronic coronary heart disease.

Today, the Andreas Grüntzig cardiac catheter laboratories care for over 3,000 patients a year with an experienced team of interventional cardiologists and specially trained nursing staff. The entire spectrum of diagnostic and therapeutic methods of modern interventional cardiology is available for individualized and patient-centered therapy. In addition to providing 24/7 acute care for heart attack patients from the greater Zurich area, as a supra-regional maximum care center we also support other hospitals by taking over and continuing treatment of highly complex and seriously ill patients with coronary heart disease.

Structural heart interventions

The treatment of structural heart disease is a highly specialized area of the Clinic for Cardiology. In close cooperation with the cardiac surgery clinic, modern minimally invasive, catheter-guided therapy procedures are offered as an alternative to open heart surgery for patients with valvular heart disease. These gentle procedures usually only require a short hospital stay. Together with our colleagues in cardiac surgery, we decide on the best treatment method for each individual patient. The procedures are carried out in a fully equipped hybrid operating theater in which all treatment options are available.