Prof. Sandra Eifert, MD
Cardiac surgeon; senior physician in the VAD/heart transplant outpatient clinic at Herzzentrum Leipzig
Lecture: Heart and sex: sex-specific differences in cardiac surgery and their clinical relevance
Language: German
In cardiac surgery, women have an almost two-fold higher risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality compared to men. If the examinations are adjusted for age, body surface area and blood volume, the female sex remains an independent risk factor. The human body is primarily dependent on genetically determined gender in terms of hormone presence and physique.
The sex-specific differences extend over the entire course of cardiovascular disease, including surgical treatment. This includes surgery for coronary artery and heart valve disease and its consequences, as well as terminal heart failure. By taking life stages into account and with the help of artificial intelligence, the serious differences in morbidity and mortality in cardiac surgery can be reduced.
