2 Apr 2025
At the end of March, Prof. Dr. Markus M. Lerch handed over a new laser system to the cardiac surgery department. Thanks to donations, including €20,000 from Prof. Dr. Lejeune, €250,000 was raised and the latest laser technology was purchased.
The new state-of-the-art laser device enables minimally invasive procedures to be performed on patients with heart disease, for example to open narrowed coronary arteries or remove defective pacemaker leads. This gentle method often makes surgery unnecessary. This provides lasting relief for patients, not least because they recover better and faster.
Prof. Dr. Markus M. Lerch: "The LMU Clinic is one of the largest and best maximum care facilities in Europe. In addition to research and teaching, it is primarily concerned with providing the best possible care for sick people, but money also plays a role here. Without the donations collected through fundraising, many things would not be possible at the clinic. I am very pleased that we have now been able to purchase the state-of-the-art heart laser, which can spare some of our heart patients from surgery. And the next project, an innovative heart ultrasound device, is also waiting to be realised: we still need around €60,000 for this, which we hope to raise around Easter. The interior design of the new Hauner is also very important to us: after all, Europe's most modern children's hospital, the foundation stone of which was laid here on the Großhadern campus on 11 March in the presence of Bavarian Prime Minister Dr Markus Söder and Science Minister Markus Blume, also needs child-friendly interior design for the patient rooms, examination rooms and emergency room. We are working on this continuously."
Prof. Markus M. Lerch (centre) with the Director of the Clinic for Cardiac Surgery Prof. Christian Hagl (2nd from right), Senior Physician Dr Sebastian Sadoni (right) and Prof. Dr phil. H.c. Erich Lejeune from the ‘Herz für Herz’ Foundation (left).
Congenital heart defects are usually diagnosed and treated early on. However, even if the affected children are able to participate in everyday life without symptoms after successful treatment, regular check-ups are important throughout their lives – usually by ultrasound. The more accurately the ultrasound device can image the vascular and organ structures, the more precise the diagnoses and targeted therapies become. That is why researchers are constantly developing the procedures further. With the purchase of the latest generation of cardiac ultrasound equipment, LMU Hospital wants to make these advances available to its patients as quickly as possible.