History of the Department

The early 1970s were a time in which many German medical faculties founded independent departments of cardiac or cardiothoracic surgery. In 1972 the medical faculty of the University of Saarland decided to follow the trend and generate a Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. The presence of an active departments of Cardiology, Pediatric Cardiology and Pneumology seemed an ideal basis for this structural development.

In 1973 Prof. Dr. Kurd Stapenhorst was chosen as chairman of the new department, and he started his activities in the summer semester 1974. A surgeon, three nurses and two perfusionists were trained in Munich and Göttingen, necessary equipment and instruments were procured.

After preparing the needed infrastructure the first operation took place in January 1975 with the closure of a patent ductus arteriosus. In February of the same year Prof. Stapenhorst closed a ventricular septal defect in a 4 year-old girl as the first procedure involving extracorporeal circulation.

At that time the department consisted had access to 1 operating room and 6 intensive care beds. In the fall of 1976 a separate regular ward was added with 16 beds. In the first year 329 operations on the heart, lungs and large blood vessels were performed. In 1985 the department was renamed Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

In the next 15 years, an increasing proportion of children with congenital heart disease were treated. The number of operations increased to approximately 600 in 1980. With completion of a new building of the Surgical Center in 1990 the department had access to two new operating rooms and an intensive care unit with 10 beds, in addition 24 regular beds. After more than 15 years of hard and intensive development work Professor Kurd Stapenhorst retired in 1991.

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