Walter Klepetko

Prof. Dr. Walter Klepetko heads the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the Medical University of Vienna, Vienna General Hospital (AKH), and Wiener Privatklinik.

Prof. Klepetko graduated from the Vienna Medical School in 1978, afterwards had international training experience in Hong Kong (Queen Mary Hospital), Canada (Toronto General Hospital), the USA (Massachusetts General Hospital) and the UK (Papworth Hospital Cambridge).

Professor is internationally known specialist in extended thoracic surgical procedures and transplantation.

In 1989, he started the Vienna Lung Transplant Program with over 100 performed transplants per year. Today it is considered as a worldwide leading lung transplant program. Professor Klepetko initiated the program in cooperation with neighboring countries to increase the availability of donor organs.

Among his other achievements, is co-developing of the surgical technique of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for the artificial heart-lung transplant. According to his statement, improved immunosuppression helps patients to lead a nearly ordinary life. To prove it, in 2017, Professor Klepetko accompanied his 10 ex-patients on their way to Kilimanjaro.

In 2018, he provided a successful lung transplant to three-time Formula 1 world champion Niki Lauda.