We are the combination of four hospitals: the General Hospital, the Children’s Hospital, the Women’s Hospital and the Traumatology, Rehabilitation and Burns Hospital. We are part of the Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus: a world-leading health park where healthcare plays a crucial role.
Below we will list the departments and units that form part of Vall d’Hebron Hospital and the main diseases that we treat. We will also make recommendations based on advice backed up by scientific evidence that has been shown to be effective in guaranteeing well-being and quality of life.
Would you like to know what your stay at Vall d'Hebron will be like? Here you will find all the information.
The commitment of Vall d'Hebron University Hospital to innovation allows us to be at the forefront of medicine, providing first class care adapted to the changing needs of each patient.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) causes muscular degeneration that can affect motor autonomy, oral communication, swallowing and breathing, but the senses, intellect and eyes muscles remain intact. It can therefore affect the respiratory muscles, which is why respiratory care is essential for patients’ quality of life.
In order to improve the respiratory difficulties in patients, ventilation therapy can be used through non-invasive ventilation.
Ventilation therapy refers to breathing support using a ventilator, usually at night during sleep, to achieve:
Ventilation is carried out non-invasively, by means of a patient-adjusted mask (nasal or full face) connected by a tube to the ventilator or respirator.
When patients need this therapy, the place and time it is started, whether outpatient or hospital admission, is planned in a personalised way with the consent of the patient and the person caring for them.
Education for the patient and their main carer should begin as soon as possible, both from the point of view of managing secretions and the resulting care, as well as the emotional support they need to receive. This means that during the patient’s admission or outpatient visit, the patient and their carer will be trained in:
The patient and the carer must take care to keep the airway in good condition to allow secretions to be managed. It is important to preserve the ability to cough where possible, but if coughing is no longer effective, the patient and carer will need to start learning how to use mechanical aids (cough assist or mechanically assisted cough). In certain cases secretion suction may also be used.
To improve the quality of life of patients it is important to follow the advice below:
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
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