Bretschneider's main interest was the physiology of the heart. After studying coronary perfusion and cardiac metabolism he pioneered investigations on cardioplegia. The "Bretschneider's solution" was disseminated internationally and revolutionised cardiac surgery. Bretschneider's concept of cardioplegia made long and complicated interventions possible without irreversible damage to the myocardium.
The Hans-Jürgen Bretschneider Poster Prize was offered for the first time, on the occasion of the DGK 2013 autumn meeting and the annual meeting of the Rhythmology Working Group. The best posters in the field of basic research are now awarded each year during the Basic Science Meeting at the DGK 'Heart Days'. We are delighted that PhD student Anna Kaltenbach from the Steffens Lab at IPEK joined and won the Poster Prize this year.
