Aortic Dissection Treatment Cost in Germany

The cost of Aortic Dissection treatment in Germany typically ranges from $7,000 to $25,000 USD, depending on the hospital, city, and type of procedure.

Aortic dissection is a tear in the inner wall of the aorta, the body's main artery. It is a life-threatening emergency. In Germany, the total depends on:

• Type of dissection: Type A near the heart or Type B further down.
• Emergency care: medicines to lower blood pressure and heart rate.
• Surgery: open repair with a graft or a stent graft (TEVAR).
• Follow-up scans: after repair.

NHS England (South) explains that a tear creates a flap in the wall of the aorta. Type A involves the ascending aorta near the heart and carries a risk of death of up to 1 to 3% per hour until surgery, while Type B affects the aorta in the lower chest or abdomen.

The flap can block blood supply to the brain, heart, gut, kidneys, spinal cord or legs. In people under 60 it is often linked to an inherited weakness of the artery wall, and in older people to stiffening with age, high blood pressure and smoking.

Medicines lower blood pressure and heart rate to reduce strain on the aorta. Type A usually needs open surgery to replace the damaged section with an artificial graft, with the heart temporarily stopped.

Some dissections are treated with a stent graft placed through the groin (TEVAR). The British Society of Interventional Radiology reports a hospital stay of three to five days after TEVAR and a 2 to 3% risk of stroke or paralysis, and follow-up scans are needed.

Aortic dissection is an emergency and is treated where it happens. In Germany, the emergency number is 112. Inpatient hospital care in Germany is billed under the German DRG system, which depends on the main diagnosis, other diagnoses and the procedures carried out, so the final amount is known only after the stay.

Visitors from EU countries can use the EHIC for unplanned care. Planned follow-up procedures can be estimated in advance.