PD Dr. med. Axel Unbehaun

Axel Unbehaun is a senior consultant in cardiac surgery at the Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité (DHZC), Germany. He serves as Medical Director of the institutional Structural Heart Interventions Program (SHIP). 

Since 2008, he has been continuously involved in establishing and advancing the local Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation program with more than 10,000 TAVI/R procedures to date. Beside his interest in interventional cardiac surgery, he has extensive experience in comprehensive imaging-based strategy planning for transcatheter and hybrid procedures. Axel Unbehaun performs all types of transcatheter heart valve interventions with all access types as first operator. His scientific interest is focused on device landing zone complications and protective modifications, innovations, methodological limitations, predictors of long-term outcome, and application of transcatheter procedures under critical circumstances. He serves as an international physician proctor for all types of heart valve interventions.

As a medical student, Axel Unbehaun obtained the Young Investigator Award at the International Congress on Electrocardiology. He received the Doctor of Medicine degree from Charité Berlin in 2000 with a thesis in physiology on linear and nonlinear dynamics in cardiac control. Afterwards, he underwent an intensive training program in cardiac surgery at the German Heart Center Berlin. In 2016, he received the degree “Privatdozent” from Charité Berlin in cardiac surgery with a habilitation thesis entitled “Transcatheter aortic valve implantation: Strategies for excellent initial and long-term results”. He is the author or co-author of more than 140 publications, most of them focused on transcatheter heart valve therapies.

until 2000
Studied human medicine at the Charité, Humboldt University Berlin
Practical year at Louisiana State University, School of Medicine, New Orleans, USA
Research at the Institute of Physiology at Charité Berlin on the topic of "Linear and non-linear dynamics of cardiovascular regulation"; Young Investigator Award, 1st prize, XXIV International Congress on Electrocardiology
Completion of doctorate (summa cum laude)

2002
Licence to practise medicine

2005 - 2011
Surgical training at the Clinic for Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery at the German Heart Centre Berlin; specialist in cardiac surgery

From 2008
Development and continuous participation in the programme for catheter-based heart valve interventions at the German Heart Institute Berlin
Initiation and active participation in institutional and multi-centre international studies in the field of transcatheter therapies for heart valve diseases
Specialisation in interventional heart surgery

2011
Specialist in heart surgery

Since 2013
DZHK scientist (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research)

2016
Teaching qualification / authorisation to teach at the Charité with habilitation thesis: "Catheter-assisted aortic valve implantation: Strategies from optimal initial results to excellent long-term results"

since 2017
Senior physician at the Clinic for Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery at the German Heart Centre Berlin

2021-2024
Steering committee of the interdisciplinary TVU / Transcatheter Valve Unit at the German Heart Centre (Charité)

since 2024
Medical Director (Cardiac Surgery) SHIP / Structural Heart Intervention Programme at the German Heart Centre of the Charité

Key research areas

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI/R):
new technologies, prognostic factors, simulation tools, TAVI/R vs. SAVR

Transcatheter Mitral Valve Implantation and Repair (TMVI/R):
outcome, (left ventricular) LV-remodelling, prognostic factors

Structural Heart Interventions (SHI) in heart transplant recipients and patients under mechanical circulatory support (MCS)

Transcatheter Repair and orthotopic and heterotopic Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Implantation (TTVI/R): development of strategies to prevent right heart failure