Structural Heart Interventions Program (SHIP)

In the "Structural Heart Interventions Program" (SHIP), we bundle the medical planning and implementation of all catheter-based treatments of heart valves in adults. The treatments performed for heart valve diseases primarily include TAVI procedures to replace the aortic valve, but also catheter-based treatments for diseases of the mitral and tricuspid valves. Here, we offer our patients all innovative treatment options such as sail-based therapies (clipping, also known as transcatheter edge-to-edge repair) and catheter-based mitral and tricuspid valve replacement (Tendyne, M3, Evoque).

We offer all established access routes (transfemoral, transapical, transaxillary, transaortic, transcarotid, transcaval) for our interventions and use valve systems from all leading manufacturers.

In addition, we offer our patients who cannot be treated with a standard procedure gentle solutions as part of study participation.

• More about the SHIP services

We actively participate in numerous studies and can therefore offer our patients new treatment methods at an early stage if established standard procedures are not suitable. Further information can be found on the websites of our working groups.

• About the Dreger working group (AG)

With more than 1,500 catheter-based heart valve interventions per year (including more than 1,300 TAVI procedures), the DHZC is one of the largest valve centres in the world. Catheter-based valve interventions have been performed at the DHZC since 2008. Since then, more than 12,000 patients have been successfully treated with a TAVI procedure. Thanks to this large number of patients, our interdisciplinary team of specialised doctors and nurses has above-average experience, even with complex and rare diseases.

Short distances and state-of-the-art equipment

The SHIP unit includes the normal ward W3 and the monitoring ward (Intermediate Care IMC) W2i in Mittelallee 2 of the Campus Virchow-Klinikum. The operations themselves take place in the three hybrid operating theatres of the DHZC on the Virchow-Klinikum campus.

The "Structural Heart Intervention Program" is run jointly by the three cardiology clinics of the DHZC and the DHZC Clinic for Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery. In line with the interdisciplinary approach, the unit is headed by a cardiologist and a cardiac surgeon.

The experts from all participating clinics form the so-called "heart team". Thanks to this interdisciplinary composition, our doctors ensure that our patients receive the best possible treatment - surgery or intervention - tailored to their individual situation.

• The SHIP team

Your first point of contact for questions about the Structural Heart Interventions Programme (SHIP) is SHIP assistant Djamila Litim. Among other things, she manages the SHIP secretariat.

The planning and coordination of procedures is in the hands of our experienced coordination team: Our coordinators Viola Fischer, Marcel Heppe and Sebastian Rahmlow are responsible for communicating with patients, scheduling appointments and organising appointments.

As a member of the SHIP outpatient clinic staff, Janice Illing is responsible for patient coordination, scheduling outpatient appointments and organising all nursing activities at the outpatient clinic.