Thanks to the impressive advances made in modern cardiology, our life expectancy has increased considerably. A large part of the increase in life expectancy among men (+5.75 years) observed from 1980 to 2002 can be attributed to a lowered fatality from cardiovascular diseases. This means that the achievements in modern cardiology have every reason to be considered a success story.
However, this is offset by a less positive development in the sponsorship of cardiological research projects. The general budget shortages also extend to heart research, making the financing of independent research projects increasingly difficult.