Jena, 11.05.2026. At the Jena University Hospital (UKJ), a novel combination of bypass surgery and shockwave therapy was successfully applied for the first time. The procedure aims to better regenerate severely weakened hearts and is currently unique in Thüringen.
- Institution: Jena University Hospital (UKJ), Department of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery
- New Procedure: First combination of classic bypass and shockwave therapy in Jena
- Treatment Goal: Promotion of tissue regeneration and increase in pumping capacity
- First Patient: 63-year-old man from Nordthüringen with severe heart failure
Regeneration through shockwaves directly on the heart muscle
The Department of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery at the University Hospital in Jena has broken new medical ground with this new procedure. According to its own statements, the UKJ is only the second institution in Germany to use this specific method in practice. The surgical process takes place in two essential steps: First, the surgeons perform a classic bypass to surgically restore blood flow to the heart by bypassing narrowed coronary vessels. Immediately following this, the heart muscle is treated directly with shockwaves during the open-heart surgery.
The focused shockwaves are intended to trigger cellular reactions deep within the tissue. The goal of this direct mechanical stimulation is to significantly promote the regeneration of heart tissue damaged by chronic undersupply and thus stabilize the organ’s general pumping function in the long term.
Significant improvement within a few days
The first patient to benefit from the new surgical method is 63-year-old Fred Meyer from Nordthüringen. According to the physicians, the man had been suffering for several years from pronounced and severe heart failure, which severely limited his physical capacity. The UKJ recorded rapid progress after the operation: within a few days, the patient’s cardiac output had significantly improved.
The doctors assume that the healing process will continue to progress in the coming weeks. The maximum medical effects of the combined bypass and shockwave therapy on tissue regeneration are expected after about three months.
Background: High-end medicine in Jena-Lobeda
The Jena University Hospital (UKJ), with its state-of-the-art central location in the district of Lobeda, is the only university hospital in Thüringen. As a maximum care hospital, the facility treats over 300,000 patients annually from across the entire Free State and beyond.
Originally, shockwave therapy (lithotripsy) gained fame in medicine primarily through the non-contact fragmentation of kidney stones. In modern research and cardiac surgery, the principle of mechanical waves is increasingly used to specifically stimulate the body’s own healing processes in the tissue through so-called mechanotransduction – the conversion of mechanical stimuli into cellular signals. This approach offers new therapeutic perspectives for patients with advanced heart failure.
Source:
New heart surgery successfully used for the first time at UKJ
Transparency note: This article was automatically created, editorially reviewed, and expanded with AI support.