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.
Patients are the centre and the core of our system. We are professionals committed to quality care and our organizational structure breaks down the traditional boundaries between departments and professional groups, with an exclusive model of knowledge areas.
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.
Multiple sclerosis is a progressive disease of the central nervous system, disabling, chronic and with a high degree of complexity and heterogeneity. Specialised multidisciplinary care is therefore required during diagnosis, follow-up and treatment.
Current evidence is insufficient to give advice on preventing multiple sclerosis. It is, however, advised that your have a healthy lifestyle and carry out activities as normal. Multiple sclerosis affects women more than men, often appears in young adults and is the second biggest cause of non-traumatic disability.
When agreeing with the patient to start them on a drug to treat symptoms or multiple sclerosis itself:
The symptoms of multiple sclerosis can vary greatly, so you are advised to consult specialists when you feel:
Although there is no scientific evidence that allows us to make concrete recommendations to prevent or change the course of the illness, there is a whole host of advice about diet, habits and physical exercise that patients and, in general, the entire population, should bear in mind:
You are also advised, should you suffer fatigue, to continue daily activity and stay active, combining moments of activity with moments of relaxation as well as to seek energy-saving strategies.
Vitamin D has an important role to play in relation to the illness, which is being researched intensively. Often, people affected present a deficiency of this vitamin, so you are advised to take a supplement under instructions and supervision by your specialist.
Multiple sclerosis is a complex and chronic illness, so it is recommended that those around the person affected are given adequate and comprehensive information. It is also a good idea to have access to ongoing advice whenever necessary.
The family or professional carer, where necessary, may need training and practical advice on topics such as diet, hygiene and the patient’s mobility.
Health education in the diagnosis, at the beginning of the treatment and for the mobilisation of the disabled patient.
Ampullary epidermolysis is a group of genetic disorders that may present themselves in various ways, from milder forms to more severe ones: affecting the skin and mucous membranes, involving the formation of blisters and vesicles after the slightest trauma. They can also affect other organs, in different ways.
The best thing is if the patients, their families and their caregivers receive comprehensive health education, especially when they are first diagnosed, during the baby’s first few days, when skin lesions can already begin to occur.
The education aimed at preventing the evolution and complications of the disease will be given by professionals from the following disciplines:
Skin affected by ampullary epidermolysis is very sensitive to the slightest pressure or friction, which then causes a blister to form. To avoid damage, bear in mind the following recommendations:
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:
The most effective way of avoiding the illness is vaccination. The diphtheria vaccination is highly effective and is administered as part of the Systematic Immunisation Programme in Catalonia (Programa de vacunacions sistemàtiques).
Diphtheria is transmitted via the respiratory tract, mainly, and also by direct contact with a sick person or a healthy carrier of the bacteria. The illness may affect the tonsils, pharynx, the larynx, the nasal mucous membrane and, much less frequently, the skin or other mucous membranes. The bacteria forms a thick grey membrane with a dark red swollen area around it, which in the case of the nose and throat may obstruct the respiratory tract.
Some people may carry the bacteria in their nose or throat. If these people are vaccinated they will not develop the illness, but they may transmit the bacterium to other people via droplets produced when they sneeze or cough. The existence of carriers in countries with no cases of the illness is very rare.
Self-testing for glucose consists of getting patients with diabetes and their families to conduct tests and note down the results in the capillary blood glucose log book. That way, the patient can find out and assess their blood sugar level in real time.
To find out if blood glucose levels are correct, too high or too low, writing them down in your log book allows you to get to know the trends at different times of day, in order to adjust the doses of insulin in the best way possible.
To measure capillary blood glucose it is very important to keep all your equipment in perfect condition and follow the instructions for each piece of equipment to measure blood glucose and prick yourself correctly.
If the pancreas does not secrete insulin or does not secrete enough, it is essential to add it from outside. For now, the only way to do this is to inject it, since if it is digested, the stomach destroys it.
What do you need to bear in mind if you need to inject yourself with insulin or you look after someone who does?
You do not need to disinfect the skin around the area you are going to inject with alcohol, but you do need to maintain good body hygiene and wash your hands first.
If you are using alcohol, let it evaporate before you inject, as it may be more painful otherwise.
Insulin must be injected into the subcutaneous tissue. It will then slowly make its way into the blood and start to act.
Repeated pricks in the same area over time may cause lipodystrophy or deformations in the subcutaneous tissue due to inflammation or reduction. It can be easily identified as bruises appear beneath the skin.
If you do have lipodystrophy, either: do not inject that area for a while until the lipodystrophy goes away; or change needles more often.
Research recommends 5 mm needles for everyone, as there is not thought to be much difference between the thickness of subcutaneous tissue, regardless of the person’s physical constitution.
The correct pinch is done using the index and middle fingers and the thumb. Grab the skin and subcutaneous tissue, without lifting the muscle. Once the insulin has been injected, wait a few seconds before withdrawing the needle and letting go of your skin.
Guidelines for caring for stroke patients, covering communication, mobility, hygiene, sleep, clothing, home adaptation, recreational activities, sexuality, and gradual return to work to promote autonomy and overall recovery.
A stroke is a clinical syndrome characterised by rapid development of signs of neurological involvement lasting more than 24 hours. Vascular in origin, a stroke is considered a medical emergency that requires immediate diagnosis and treatment.
The person who has suffered a stroke usually needs further rehabilitation but, in general, it is important to respect their initiative and autonomy, even if it takes them longer, and to avoid overprotection.
Recommendations and treatment for relatives and carers
People with chronic Chagas disease should maintain regular medical follow-ups, recognize warning signs, maintain a healthy lifestyle, follow medical advice, and participate in peer education. These measures help prevent complications, manage psychological stress, and improve quality of life.
Chagas disease is an infectious, usually chronic, tropical disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. People can become infected through the faeces of an infected insect, a triatomine, also known as conenose bugs, kissing bugs, assassin bugs or vampire bugs, depending on the country.
It can also be transmitted in other ways:
Transmission caused by the insect only takes places in Central and South America, but the other ways, due to the migratory movements of infected people, may occur in other corners of the planet. The illness can be prevented.
Although Chagas disease affects between eight and ten million people around the world, today it is not very well known. According to the World Health Organization, it is one of 17 forgotten and neglected diseases.
In somewhere like Spain this illness has different health education needs than in countries where it is endemic. Familiarity, awareness, removing stigmas and visibility of the illness are therefore essential instruments in health education about Chagas disease.
It is calculated that currently less than 10% of infected people know that they have the disease.
Who can be infected?
How do you know if you are infected?
What do you need to do?
Chagas disease is characterised, first of all, by an acute phase during which treatment is effective, and it can be cured. In most cases, however, it evolves to become a chronic disease and, as such, requires control and monitoring for life.
More than half of infected people show no symptoms, but three out of ten will suffer heart problems and one in every ten digestive problems (years after having contracted the infection). In these cases, the process is initially asymptomatic, so that without sufficient treatment or monitoring the illness could manifest itself suddenly and cause irreversible damage or even sudden death.
What effects does the disease have?
What are the warning signs?
Chagas disease is often accompanied by emotions and feelings of guilt, impotence and fear. Questions such as: “Why me?”, “What do I do now?” and “Does Chagas mean I’m going to die?” are common in people who have been diagnosed.
What do you need to know?
There are no drugs (vaccinations or medicine) to prevent Chagas disease. People without the disease are at risk of becoming infected and people who are already affected are at risk of being re-infected.
The preventive measure we have is education.
Chagas disease has psychological, social and cultural characteristics and determinants for the people affected, their families and society. In fact, a diagnosis of Chagas disease can have significant repercussions from a psychological and social point of view.
Often, the people affected do not want to know if they are affected or not for fear of the disease and its imagined consequences: often these are based on popular beliefs and/or previous experience with relatives, friends or acquaintances who have died in an unfavourable social environment. Sometimes, they hide the disease for fear of being excluded at work.
People with celiac disease must follow a strict gluten-free diet, avoiding cross-contamination and checking food ingredients, to maintain balanced nutrition and prevent complications from accidental gluten intake.
The treatment for Coeliac disease is to follow a strict gluten-free diet for life. A gluten-free diet should be based on a varied and balanced diet combining foods that do not contain gluten, including gluten-free cereals. Cross contamination at home should also be taken into account (making sure foods suitable for Coeliacs have not come into contact with other foods, utensils or surfaces that contain gluten) and precautions taken when eating out. It is also important to always check the ingredients list on food labels.
This sheet contains basic tips on having a gluten-free diet in a safe and balanced way.
Gluten is a protein complex found in cereals. It is made up of two proteins, gliadin and glutenin. It is important that Coeliac patients permanently remove foods containing gliadin and glutenin from their diet. This means eliminating wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye) and all derivatives.
Although foods must be removed from their diet, patients with Coeliac disease must follow a balanced diet, ensuring they get sufficient nutrients. To achieve this you need to incorporate a wide variety of foods with different preparation and cooking methods.
Patients with Coeliac disease should base their diet on dairy, meat, fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables and pulses, and cereals they can eat, such as corn, rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, sorghum, teff or buckwheat. Sugar and processed foods should be ingested to a lesser extent.
Foods should be prepared as normal, avoiding cross contamination: boiled, steamed, grilled, fried or baked. Batter and breadcrumbs should be made with flour or bread that is suitable for Coeliacs.
It is important to take care with processed or packaged foods. It is harder to avoid cross contamination in processed foods.
Read product labels carefully when you are buying food that is not fresh. Some foods naturally do not contain gluten, but in their commercially available form they do, as gluten is sometimes added during the manufacturing process. To be on the safe side, it is therefore better to avoid unlabelled products, such as those bought in bulk or handmade products.
It is a good idea to have a space set aside just for storing gluten-free foods. You should also use clean cooking utensils to make sure they have not come into contact with products containing gluten.
When eating out, take precautions. It is important to make sure that what you eat has not come into contact with any food containing gluten. One example would be oils in which foods containing gluten have been fried.
Patients with Asperger’s syndrome need a stable and predictable environment that can be easily adapted. It is key to their well-being to establish routines according to their interests, organise their time, avoid inactivity or over intense activity as well as sudden changes. Although the syndrome has no cure, appropriate treatment and involving family members can improve the quality of life of patients.
People with Asperger’s syndrome may have different requirements depending on their age, surroundings and the awareness that they have of their difficulties. For this reason, they need a tailor-made programme that responds to their specific case.
The aim of these customised programmes is to:
It is important to manage their development through different disciplines. These may include cognitive treatments, social skills programmes and occupational therapy for the patient. You also have to consider guidelines on how to resolve conflicts and how to manage pyschoeducational groups for families or caregivers.
In infants, from an emotional and attitudinal point of view, it is important to learn to identify the warning signs in their mood. In this way, we can prevent difficulties in anger management and low tolerance to frustration, since they are patients with a high degree of sensitivity to criticism. Avoid punishment as much as possible and establish more positive reinforcement strategies.
All these guidelines must be established in a space where the differences the child or adolescent presents are valued positively, including their limitations, but also their possibilities and positive aspects.
In adults, many of these characteristics continue, as Asperger’s cannot be cured. In any case, personalised treatment, involving family members and good communication with professionals can allow a better quality of life.
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