Current evolutions and substantial amendments of the German health care system in combination with distinguished progress in cardiac surgery over the past years require both a reflection of principles in patient-centered care and an update of basic standard requirements for a department of cardiac surgery in Germany. In due consideration of the data from the voluntary registry of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, this article accurately defines core requirements for a cardiac surgical department (cardiac surgery on-site), subdivided into facilities, staff and processes. If based on these standards, one may anticipate that cardiac surgical care is performed under appropriate conditions leading to an intrinsic benefit for patients.
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.