Frequently asked Questions

1. To send and receive confidential data, please ask us to establish an encrypted e-mail connection. We will then send you an encrypted mail.
2. Open the mail.
3. Open the attachment "secure-email.html" at the very bottom with a double click or in your  browser (if this is not possible directly: save the attachment in the download folder and open it from there).
4. Choose your language . Then: "OK".
5. Enter your mobile number incl. country code (e.g. 004177xxxxx) . Then: "next
6. Then enter the code you have just received by SMS . Click on "save" or "login" if you are already registered.
7. You will now see our first encrypted mail to you.

More information on our data protection measures can be found in the article "Together for Education, Transparency and Data Protection".

As a medical centre, we are obliged by the Swiss Federal Law on Data Protection (DSG) and the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (DSGVO) to protect your privacy and confidentiality and to protect your personal data from misuse. 

That is why we may only transmit communications with sensitive personal data in encrypted form by e-mail, by telephone, by post or directly in the meeting. We also only transmit your data to the doctors treating you if you have explicitly consented to this beforehand.

In the case of e-mails, both the communication channel (SSL protocol) AND the contents (HIN service) are encrypted.

Our IT infrastructure is protected by a professional, top-class firewall and backups, and our employees are regularly trained in data protection.

More information on our data protection measures can be found in the article "Together for Education, Transparency and Data Protection".

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Please note that in normal e-mail communication, the contents of the e-mails are not protected from being read, altered or forwarded by unauthorised persons. 

We therefore only use a mail encryption service (HIN) to send your personal data. Please ask us for an encrypted communication connection by e-mail and we will send you an initial encrypted message which you can reply to after a short registration for this service and which is then automatically encrypted.

You can also see how this works in the explanatory video below (ONLY IN GERMAN).

HIN: Anleitung für Empfänger

More information on our data protection measures can be found in the article "Together for Education, Transparency and Data Protection".

If you are coming to see us for the first time, please arrive about 10 minutes early so that you can complete the registration formalities with us. Please take your insurance card and all the reports you have from all doctors with you.

Read more about the initial cardiological assessment.

Approx. one hour. This may include the discussion, a medical history and initial diagnostic tests (e.g. TTE, resting ECG, exercise ECG), the results of which can be discussed immediately. 

More about the procedure of an initial cardiological assessment.

Gladly. Book your appointment with us under  /appointment and enter your personal details, contacts as well as allergies and medication information under /stammdaten This helps us to optimally prepare your first visit.

All data is transmitted encrypted.

Compulsory Health Insurance (KVG)
All outpatient services provided by us in our practice are billed according to the Tarmed tariff and are covered by the compulsory health insurance according to the swiss KVG. Certain medications that we require as part of a transoesophageal echocardiography or during a stress echo are an exception to this.

Outpatient interventions at the Hirslanden Klinik im Park (mandatory without overnight stay / discharge on the same day) are covered by compulsory health insurance in accordance with the KVG after prior approval of the costs.

Supplementary insurance area (VVG)
Inpatient stays at the Hirslanden Klinik im Park are possible if at least one of the following conditions is fulfilled:

• You live in the canton of Schwyz, Glarus or Graubünden and have compulsory basic health insurance (KVG)
• You have supplementary hospital insurance for the semi-private or private ward and your insurance company provides us with a cost approval
• You pay for the hospital stay and the medical fees yourself.

Accident, military and disability insurance
Outpatient services which we provide within the framework of orders from accident, military or disability insurance are billed according to Tarmed tariff 01.08.00_BR_UVG/IVG/MVG and accordingly covered by the respective insurance company.

Non-compulsory services
For certain medicines used during procedures (TEE/stress echo), they are not covered by the compulsory health insurance according to KVG. Therefore, you will receive an invoice directly from us. This usually ranges between CHF 5 and CHF 25.

Services from third parties
Laboratory analyses are charged directly by the laboratory.

The test takes about one hour, including preparation and follow-up.

More about the stress echo test here.

As long as possible. However, the duration of this test varies from patient to patient. The stress test usually lasts about 5-10 minutes. 

More about the stress ECG.

In any case, you should remain sober for six hours before the examination and not drive a car or motorbike yourself on the day of the examination. More about the TEE.

Of course, you always have a free choice of doctor. Please tell us which doctor you would like to be treated by.

Red Cross Driving and Escort Services.
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Klinik im Park Limousine Service for Privately Insured Patients
After an inpatient stay, Klinik im Park Guest Services can take you home in a specially equipped limousine. The service to your destination is free of charge for the first 25 km, then 5 CHF / km. Accompaniment to living room and luggage service. Reservation until 3 p.m. the day before discharge at Hirslanden Guest Services, 044 209 21 41 or limousinenservice.impark@hirslanden.ch

Severe mitral regurgitation can lead to heart failure with chronic or acute pulmonary congestion (pulmonary oedema). It can lead to atrial fibrillation and thus even to a stroke.

More about mitral valve insufficiency here.

If the leakage in a mitral valve insufficiency is only mild or moderate, medication can be considered, e.g. with vasodilator and heart rate-lowering drugs. However, if it is severe, the mitral valve usually needs to be repaired or even replaced surgically or with a catheter.

More about mitral valve insufficiency here.

Catheter repair of the mitral valves usually takes 1 to 2 hours. It is performed under general anaesthesia. The procedure should be painless. The stay in the hospital is not longer than 5 days.

More about mitral valve insufficiency here.

For very ill patients, this can be useful to regain performance more quickly. For many patients it is not necessary.

More about mitral valve insufficiency here.

Dr Olaf Franzen is one of the world's most experienced cardiologists in this field. He performed the first procedure of this kind in Europe and has since treated more than 1000 patients worldwide. Apart from Zurich, he has performed these procedures in Hamburg, Copenhagen, Oslo, London, Sydney, Jerusalem, Toulouse, Hanoi, Brunei, Singapore and Hong Kong.

More about mitral valve insufficiency here.

In any case, you should remain sober for six hours before the examination and not drive a car or motorbike yourself on the day of the examination. More about the TEE.

This examination, also called "Transoesophageal Echocardiography or TEE", is used when the usual Echocardiographic Examination (TTE) does not allow sufficiently accurate images or diagnosis. A swallow echo provides very accurate imaging of the heart and aorta because the oesophagus, into which the imaging ultrasound probe is inserted, passes just behind the heart. This allows many heart conditions to be detected, including aortic aneurysm, blood clots in the left atrium, aortic valve or mitral valve defects. It can also be used to check for valve replacements.

This examination, also called "Transoesophageal Echocardiography or TEE", itself only takes about 10-15 minutes.

The "TEE" or "Transoesophageal Echocardiography", is a relatively harmless, painless ultrasound examination. Only very rarely do complications with the oesophagus, breathing or cardiovascular disorders occur. Before the examination, you will be fully informed by our doctor about the procedure and the risks. 

Our Dr. Franzen has successfully performed this examination on several thousand patients over the last 25 years. He is so experienced that the examination can be performed gently and, if desired, without a short anaesthetic (propofol) on an outpatient basis.

Read more about the TEE here too.

We are happy to provide you with a second opinion. Especially in the case of major interventions with risks or medications with side effects, or if you would simply like to obtain the assessment and expertise of an experienced cardiologist, a second or even third opinion can be very valuable.

We are also regularly available for consultations with specialists and general practitioners and their patients if questions arise.

See also: Information for referring physicians.