(Vienna, 04 November 2026) Peter Murin took up a professorship in paediatric cardiac surgery (§ 99(1)) at the Medical University of Vienna on 1 November 2026. In his clinical and scientific work, the internationally renowned cardiac surgeon focuses on the surgical treatment of congenital heart defects in children and adults, as well as on the further development of minimally invasive and innovative surgical techniques.
Peter Murin has been heading the Department of Congenital Heart Defects and Paediatric Cardiac Surgery at MedUni Vienna since June 2024. Patient care is provided in close collaboration with the various disciplines and specialist departments of the Vienna Paediatric Heart Center. A particular priority for Murin is to further strengthen this interdisciplinary cooperation and to drive forward the training of a new generation of surgeons specialising in congenital heart defects. In this context, the interface with adult cardiology is also becoming increasingly important.
Quality assurance and the further development of clinical care form an essential foundation of this work. For years, surgical outcomes have been voluntarily entered into the largest international database for the treatment of congenital heart defects, the European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association (ECHSA) database. Among other things, this enables an annual international comparison, according to which paediatric cardiac surgery at the Department of Cardiac and Thoracic Aortic Surgery at MedUni Vienna has been among the European leaders over the past three years, both in terms of the number of operations performed and the quality of outcomes. Furthermore, the clinic’s clinical focus is on the treatment of complex congenital heart defects, innovative minimally invasive surgical techniques and treatment approaches that are as gentle as possible, promoting the earliest possible recovery after surgery.
In research, Murin – as he did previously at the Charité in Berlin – is focusing on establishing multicentre registries and developing research projects based on them. A key area of focus is aortic valve surgery, in particular the outcomes following the Ross procedure (replacement of the aortic valve with the patient’s own tissue), including as part of the pioneering international EuroRoss project. Further research activities are dedicated to myocardial regeneration and the underlying biological mechanisms, aortic arch surgery in newborns, and the prevention of adhesions during complex reoperations in infancy.
In teaching, too, Murin relies on innovative and practice-oriented formats that map out the entire treatment pathway for congenital heart defects – from prenatal diagnosis through to surgical intervention. The training programme is designed to incorporate, amongst other things, 3D visualisation methods for complex heart defects using ‘virtual reality’ technology, intraoperative video recordings of rare surgical procedures, and practical exercises using three-dimensional silicone models of real heart defects and surgical simulators. The aim is to link theoretical knowledge as closely as possible with practical skills and, , to prepare trainee surgeons at an early stage for the specific demands of paediatric cardiac surgery.
Peter Murin studied medicine at Comenius University in Bratislava and at Georg-August University in Göttingen, and was awarded his PhD with distinction in 2006. In 2022, he completed his second PhD, earning the title of Dr med., at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin with distinction – magna cum laude. His career in cardiac surgery began at the Oldenburg Heart and Vascular Centre and took him to the most renowned centres in this specialist field across the German-speaking world, including the German Children’s Heart Centre in Sankt Augustin and the German Heart Centre Berlin. At the Department of Surgery for Congenital Heart Defects at what is now the ‘German Heart Centre’ at Charité, he most recently headed the Minimally Invasive Surgery Unit as well as the Research and Teaching Division. Following his appointment in Vienna, he completed his habilitation in cardiac surgery at MedUni Vienna in 2025. Since June 2024, he has been head of the Department of Congenital Heart Defects and Paediatric Cardiac Surgery.