Prof. Dr. Heiko Reichel

Professor Dr. Heiko Reichel is the Director (Ärztlicher Direktor) of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Universitätsklinikum Ulm, one of Germany's leading university hospitals for musculoskeletal medicine. With over 30 years of specialist experience, he has established himself as one of Germany's premier orthopedic surgeons, with exceptional expertise in hip and knee replacement, complex revision arthroplasty, and spinal surgery.

Under his leadership, the Ulm Orthopedic Department has developed into a high-volume, internationally recognised centre for joint replacement and spine surgery. The department performs thousands of arthroplasty procedures annually and has been at the forefront of adopting robotic-assisted surgical systems to improve the precision of component placement in hip and knee replacement — a technological advance that Prof. Reichel has championed for its potential to improve implant longevity and reduce revision rates.

Prof. Reichel is particularly sought after for complex revision arthroplasty cases — operations to replace or correct failing hip or knee implants — which represent some of the most technically demanding procedures in orthopedic surgery. His experience in managing periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), a serious complication of joint replacement, is nationally recognised, and his department receives referrals from across Germany and internationally for these challenging cases.

As a professor at the University of Ulm, he combines clinical excellence with academic leadership, directing a research programme that participates in the German Arthroplasty Registry (EPRD) and investigates implant longevity, infection prevention, and novel biomaterials. He is an active member of the DGOOC and the AO Foundation, contributing to surgical education and guideline development.

Prof. Dr. Heiko Reichel completed his medical studies at a German university medical school, qualifying as Arzt and subsequently earning his doctoral degree (Dr. med.) through research in orthopedic biomechanics. He undertook structured specialist training in orthopedics and trauma surgery (Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie) at major German university hospitals, achieving his Facharzt qualification before subspecialising in elective arthroplasty and spinal surgery.

His training was supplemented by observational and collaborative fellowships at leading European and North American arthroplasty and spine centres, exposing him to high-volume techniques in primary and revision hip and knee replacement, minimally invasive surgery, and computer-assisted orthopaedics. He was among the early adopters of robotic-assisted arthroplasty technology in Germany and received advanced training in its implementation and validation.

Prof. Reichel holds a full Professorship at the University of Ulm (Ordinarius/Lehrstuhlinhaber) and is a Habilitated Physician (Habilitation), the highest academic qualification in the German university system. He is a member of the AO Foundation — the world's leading network for orthopedic trauma surgery education — and contributes to its international teaching faculty.

Prof. Reichel's surgical practice encompasses the full scope of major orthopedic reconstruction. In arthroplasty, he performs primary and complex revision total hip replacement (THR), total knee replacement (TKR), and unicompartmental knee replacement, routinely handling cases involving severe bone loss, deformity, and prior infection. His adoption of robotic-assisted surgical platforms allows intraoperative optimisation of implant alignment and soft tissue balance in knee and hip replacement, data from which feeds directly into his research on outcomes.

In spinal surgery, Prof. Reichel operates on degenerative spinal conditions including lumbar spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, degenerative disc disease, and adult scoliosis. His spinal procedures include lumbar fusion (PLIF, TLIF, ALIF), cervical disc arthroplasty, and minimally invasive decompression techniques. He coordinates closely with neurosurgery and pain medicine colleagues for complex spinal cases.

A major clinical and research focus is periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) — bacterial infection around hip or knee implants — which requires highly specialised surgical and antimicrobial management. Prof. Reichel's centre follows a structured two-stage revision protocol for chronic PJI, with outcomes among the best reported in the German literature. He also manages orthopedic manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis, in collaboration with the rheumatology department at Universitätsklinikum Ulm.

Prof. Reichel leads a productive orthopedic research group at Universitätsklinikum Ulm whose work spans implant science, registry outcomes research, and infection management. His department participates actively in the German Arthroplasty Registry (Endoprothesenregister Deutschland, EPRD), contributing data on revision rates, implant survival, and patient-reported outcomes that inform national benchmarking in joint replacement quality.

His research into periprosthetic joint infection has contributed methodologically important work on biofilm disruption, two-stage revision techniques, and the microbiological profiles of PJI pathogens encountered in German centres. This research, published in journals including the Journal of Arthroplasty, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, and Acta Orthopaedica, has influenced infection management protocols across German and European hospitals.

Prof. Reichel is also involved in collaborative research on robotic-assisted arthroplasty, investigating whether robotic precision in component placement translates into improved long-term implant survival and patient functional outcomes. He has received competitive research funding from the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) and from the DGOOC research committee, and has been recognised with the DGOOC Award for Research Excellence for the quality and clinical impact of his scientific contributions.

Universitätsklinikum Ulm is well positioned to receive international patients, particularly those seeking high-complexity orthopedic procedures including revision joint replacement or surgery for periprosthetic joint infection — conditions where expertise and surgical volume are critical determinants of success. Ulm is located at a central point within Germany, with excellent motorway and rail connections to Munich, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt airports.

International patients are assessed through a structured pre-consultation pathway: prior imaging (X-rays, CT, MRI) and operative reports can be submitted electronically for assessment by Prof. Reichel's team before any travel commitment is made. Consultations are conducted in German and English. A dedicated international patient coordination service at the university hospital assists with appointment logistics, insurance pre-authorisation, and accommodation. Comprehensive medical reporting in both German and English is provided for follow-up with home-country physicians.

Prof. Dr. Heiko Reichel has been recognised by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Orthopädie und Orthopädische Chirurgie (DGOOC) with its Award for Research Excellence, honouring the quality, originality, and clinical relevance of his contributions to orthopedic research. He is an active member of the AO Foundation's educational faculty and contributes to international surgical training programmes in arthroplasty and fracture management.

His participation in the German Arthroplasty Registry (EPRD) has earned recognition from the Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss) for his department's contribution to national quality assurance in joint replacement. His work on robotic-assisted surgery and periprosthetic joint infection has been recognised through invited lectureships at EFORT (European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology) Congresses and the DGU/DGOOC Joint Annual Meeting. He is widely regarded as a surgeon of outstanding technical calibre and academic leadership in German orthopedic surgery.