Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine

Clinical Division of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine 2

"Our goal in all areas is to provide care at a high, internationally comparable level while also offering a high degree of individualized support. "

Our Team

Head of Division

Univ.-Doz. Dr. Maria Angela Rajek

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Hospital LKH Univ.-Klinikum Graz, Klin.Abt.f.Anästh.u.Intensivmed.2

Location Auenbruggerplatz 29, 8036 Graz

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Fida Stephanie, Univ.Ass. Dr., FÄ

Hospital LKH Univ.-Klinikum Graz, Klin.Abt.f.Anästh.u.Intensivmed.2

Location Auenbruggerplatz 29, 8036 Graz

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Klivinyi Christoph, Univ.Ass. Dr., FA

Hospital LKH Univ.-Klinikum Graz, Klin.Abt.f.Anästh.u.Intensivmed.2

Location Auenbruggerplatz 29, 8036 Graz

Krumnikl Jakub, Dr., FOA

Hospital LKH Univ.-Klinikum Graz, Klin.Abt.f.Anästh.u.Intensivmed.2

Location Auenbruggerplatz 29, 8036 Graz

Pannold Jakob, Dr., FA

Hospital LKH Univ.-Klinikum Graz, Klin.Abt.f.Anästh.u.Intensivmed.2

Location Auenbruggerplatz 29, 8036 Graz

Raile Sabine, Dr., OÄ

Hospital LKH Univ.-Klinikum Graz, Klin.Abt.f.Anästh.u.Intensivmed.2

Location Auenbruggerplatz 29, 8036 Graz

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Reichelt Sandra, Dr., AssÄrztin

Hospital LKH Univ.-Klinikum Graz, Klin.Abt.f.Anästh.u.Intensivmed.2

Location Auenbruggerplatz 29, 8036 Graz

Terler Sabine, Dr., OÄ

Hospital LKH Univ.-Klinikum Graz, Klin.Abt.f.Anästh.u.Intensivmed.2

Location Auenbruggerplatz 29, 8036 Graz

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Vicenzi Martin, ao.Univ.Prof.Dr, OA

Welcome!

The nearly 100 staff members of our division cover a wide range of specialties at the university hospital, in the fields of anaesthesiology, intensive care medicine, and pain therapy.

These specialties include, among others, cardiac surgery, thoracic surgery, vascular surgery, neurosurgery, and paediatric surgery, as well as ENT, maxillofacial surgery, ophthalmology, and dermatology.

The staff members of our division are heavily involved in teaching throughout the entire undergraduate medical curriculum. Interdisciplinary research plays an important role in our department, and we are actively engaged in both basic and clinical research.

The team of the Clinical Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care in Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery is responsible for providing anaesthesiological, emergency, and intensive care for the following areas:

  • Clinical Division of Vascular Surgery
  • Clinical Division of Cardiac Surgery
  • Clinical Division of Cardiology
  • Clinical Division of Pediatric Cardiology
  • University Department of Radiology
  • Clinical Division of Thoracic and Hyperbaric Surgery

At the Anaesthesia Outpatient Clinic, the preoperative anaesthesia assessment (PAA) is conducted for the respective divisions.

Our Services

Surgical Divisions

In the field of cardiac anaesthesia, three cardiac surgery operating rooms are covered.

The surgical spectrum includes conventional cardiac procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and heart valve replacement, as well as major aortic surgery, correction of complex congenital heart defects, heart, liver, kidney, and pancreas transplantations, implantation of mechanical circulatory support devices, defibrillators, and the placement of conventional and multi-chamber pacemakers.

Heart surgeries are usually performed under general anaesthesia. However, specific procedures—such as pacemaker implantations—can also be done using procedural sedation (also known as conscious sedation).

Intraoperative monitoring may include, depending on the individual case, the use of a pulmonary artery catheter (right heart catheter), transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), and continuous cardiac output measurement. After surgery, patients are transferred to one of the intensive care units managed by our department — Intensive Care Unit Heart Transplant C or Intensive Care Unit Heart Transplant D.

Postoperative pain management is administered intravenously, in some cases using patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pumps.

In the largest operating rooms at LKH-University Hospital Graz, procedures are performed that allow for targeted, low-dose fluoroscopic imaging during surgery.

The term 'hybrid' refers to the ability to perform a surgical procedure and a catheter-based, radiologically guided cardio logical intervention simultaneously.

Procedures performed in these rooms include both cardiac and transplant surgeries, as well as cardio logical interventions utilizing hybrid technology. These include pacemaker and defibrillator implantations, trans catheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) via the femoral artery, trans apical aortic valve replacement, mitral valve repair using clip technology, and aortic surgeries requiring the additional implantation of stent-graft vascular prostheses.

Conventional cardiac surgeries using a heart-lung machine (such as heart valve surgery and coronary artery bypass grafting) as well as artificial heart implantations are also performed here.

Depending on the type of procedure, it is performed under either general anaesthesia or conscious sedation (sedoanalgesia). Postoperatively, patients are transferred either to the cardiology department or to one of our intensive care units, depending on the nature of the intervention.

In the field of thoracic anaesthesia, patients with diseases of the lungs, chest wall, and oesophagus receive anaesthetic care.

Aesthetic care is usually provided under general anaesthesia, often in combination with regional anaesthesia techniques such as epidural catheterization. Surgeries involving the lungs or chest wall require advanced ventilation strategies, including one-lung ventilation during the procedure.

Typical aspects of thoracic anaesthesia include preoperative evaluation of lung function, such as spirometry or exercise testing (spiroergometry).

New surgical techniques such as minimally invasive lung surgery (thoracoscopic procedures) place particular demands on the anaesthesiologist. In addition to advanced airway management skills—including fibrotic bronchoscopy—the anaesthesiologist must be proficient in specialized ventilation strategies, such as high-frequency ventilation (jet ventilation), and in the use and interpretation of advanced monitoring techniques, including transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).

Vascular surgical procedures involve operations on the arteries and veins, including aneurysm repairs, bypass surgeries, carotid endarterectomies, and procedures for peripheral arterial disease.

This primarily includes the placement of bypasses or vascular grafts due to peripheral arterial disease (PAD) or abdominal aortic aneurysms (both acute and elective treatment), as well as the removal of carotid artery stenosis and the creation of vascular access (shunts) for dialysis."

These procedures are performed under general anaesthesia or regional anaesthesia, or a combination of both. Intraoperative monitoring includes, as needed, direct invasive blood pressure measurement and placement of a central venous catheter, with optional use of a pulmonary artery catheter and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).

After the procedure, you will be monitored in an intensive care unit or a post-anesthesia care unit (PACU)."

We are happy to assist you if you require anesthesia for an examination or procedure involving the respiratory or gastrointestinal tract.

For these examinations ('scopes'), a special tube-like instrument called an endoscope is inserted, allowing the affected area to be visualized and, if necessary, treated during the procedure.

At our facility, the thoracic surgery team performs examinations and procedures involving the airways. These procedures include, for example, the collection of tissue samples for diagnostic purposes or the reopening of obstructed airways using techniques such as laser ablation, electrocoagulation, or the placement of a stent. If these procedures require general anesthesia or special ventilation techniques, we ensure that the intervention is carried out safely, comfortably, and without pain for you.

Endoscopic examinations or procedures involving the gastrointestinal tract (oesophagus, stomach, duodenum, bile ducts, and colon) are performed at our facility by the general surgery team. If anaesthesia is required for these procedures—which is rarely the case—we are happy to provide you with support and care."

In addition to providing anaesthetic care for the common procedures listed above, our professional scope also includes specialized measures—such as managing difficult airways (e.g., in the presence of tumours in the oral cavity) for the placement of a feeding tube into the stomach through the abdominal wall (so-called percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, or PEG).

Intensive Care Units

This intensive care unit, operated by the Clinical Division of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, is a high-end care unit with eight beds.

All beds are fully equipped with comprehensive intensive care monitoring and support systems. Medical care is provided by a team of three to four physicians specialized in anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine.

We will take care of you on this unit if you are:

  • in the postoperative phase following heart surgery
  • in need of renal replacement therapy (dialysis)
  • supported by cardiac assist devices (ECMO, ventricular assist device)
  • recovering after a liver transplant
  • transferred from other intensive care units for continued treatment

In addition to postoperative care, we also admit patients for preoperative optimization in order to minimize surgical risk through optimal preparation and thus contribute to the success of the planned operation. In certain cases prior to liver transplantation, we also provide preoperative management of the donor organ itself using the OrganOx® system.

Our unit is also distinguished by a long-standing tradition of close collaboration with other medical specialties. This high level of interdisciplinary cooperation—together with the active involvement of our nursing staff—ensures not only top-quality medical care for our patients, but also a standard of care that is compassionate and ethically grounded.

Contact-Information

This intensive care unit, operated by the Clinical Division of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, is a high-end care unit with ten beds.

All beds are fully equipped with comprehensive intensive care monitoring and support systems. Medical care is provided by a team of three to four physicians specialized in anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine.

We provide care for you in this unit:

  • during the postoperative phase following heart surgery
  • when renal replacement therapy (dialysis) is required
  • when cardiac support systems (ECMO, assist devices) are in use
  • if you are transferred from another intensive care unit for continued treatment

In addition to postoperative care, patients are also admitted for preoperative optimization in order to minimize surgical risks through optimal preparation and thereby contribute to the success of the planned procedure.

Our unit is also distinguished by a long-standing tradition of close collaboration with other medical specialties. This strong interdisciplinary approach, combined with the close involvement of our nursing staff, ensures not only high-quality medical care for our patients, but also compassionate and ethically grounded treatment in our intensive care unit.

Contact-Information

Contact

Division of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine 2
Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine
Monday to Friday from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM

anaesthesiologie-spis@medunigraz.at

for patients