Helios Stralsund: A new treatment method for ischemic heart disease
How much this new method can improve quality of life is demonstrated by the successful treatment of Hans-Joachim Rodewald. The 86-year-old patient has a long medical history: over the past 20 years, he has received a total of seven stents. Nevertheless, he recently suffered for months from persistent chest pain. His condition increasingly worried him and ultimately led him to the hospital’s emergency department with suspected myocardial infarction.
“Many patients who benefit from the CS reducer have a long history of illness and have usually undergone extensive treatment. This procedure offers an additional option when other measures are no longer sufficient,”
explains the treating cardiologist, Dr. med. Khairi Ben Ltaief. The Tunisian-born physician has been a senior consultant in the cardiology department for six months and previously worked in Berlin for eight years.
Intentionally slowing blood flow
What makes this procedure special is that, unlike conventional stents—which are placed in narrowed arteries (vessels leading to the heart) to improve blood flow — the coronary sinus (CS) reducer follows the opposite approach. The hourglass-shaped wire mesh is implanted in the coronary vein that carries blood away from the heart and slows down the outflow. By deliberately narrowing the vessel, oxygen-rich blood remains in the heart longer and can be used more effectively. “You can think of it as a kind of ‘traffic jam effect’ that helps the heart muscle receive better oxygen supply,” the senior consultant explains.
The procedure is minimally invasive, performed via access through the jugular vein, and is gentle for patients. Mr. Rodewald can confirm this with impressive results. The Stralsund resident was the first patient to receive this therapy at the clinic. “I was able to leave the hospital after just one day and no longer have any pain,” he says. For him, this means above all one thing: regaining a piece of quality of life. “Now I can finally work in the garden again. We have a large property—there is always something to do.”
Individual therapy for complex conditions
The CS reducer is particularly suitable for elderly, multimorbid patients for whom nearly all cardiological treatments—whether medication or surgery — have already been exhausted. “Even for complex conditions, we offer individualized and modern treatment options at Helios Hanseatic Hospital Stralsund” emphasizes the head of cardiology, Privatdozent Dr. med. Mathias Busch. “Our goal is not only to treat diseases but to sustainably improve our patients’ quality of life. With the CS reducer, we have now added another important building block.”
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