Alliance in the field of cardiac surgery

The three hospitals have signed a letter of intent to this end and applied to the cantons of AR/AI/SG for service contracts in the field of cardiac surgery as part of the 2024 hospital planning process. The aim is to secure and further develop cardiac surgery care across the cantons in the catchment area of the alliance partners. The USZ and STZ already form the Zurich Cardiac Surgery Alliance and together cover the entire range of cardiac surgery services. The KSSG, on the other hand, has been offering a comprehensive range of cardiology services as a central hospital in Eastern Switzerland for decades. However, it does not have a service mandate for cardiac surgery. The planned cardiac surgery alliance (USZ - STZ - KSSG) aims to expand and further develop cardiac surgery care close to home. Subject to the receipt of the service contracts, cardiac surgery is to be established at the KSSG in partnership in order to provide the population with care close to home.

Clear division of roles

Within the expanded cardiac surgery alliance, the USZ will primarily cover highly specialized cardiac surgery including transplants. The STZ and the KSSG will carry out planned and emergency standard cardiac surgery procedures, as well as certain complex cardiological interventions such as heart valve surgery.

Many years of cooperation

Between the USZ and the KSSG there is a cooperation in the field of cardiology and heart surgery already have a long-standing and successful collaboration, which was most recently strengthened in 2018. Since then, doctors and nurses from the KSSG have also been performing complex cardiological interventions such as heart valve surgery at the USZ in Zurich. Such interventions are also to be carried out at the KSSG in future. Cooperation between the USZ and the STZ was recently significantly strengthened with the Zurich Heart Surgery Alliance under joint management.

Efficiency and quality gains

The new Cardiac Surgery Alliance enables patients to receive high-quality cardiac surgery treatment as close to home as possible and without interruption to the patient process. The alliance partners are convinced that this cross-cantonal collaboration will significantly increase the efficiency of care in the field of cardiac surgery. The planned close cooperation in training and further education will also enable uniform quality standards and further improve the promotion of young talent.

Whether the planned alliance can be realized depends on whether the governments of the Canton of St. Gallen and the two cantons of Appenzell award the service contracts. A decision is expected by the end of the first quarter of 2024 at the latest

Press release from the Cantonal Hospital of St.Gallen