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.
Vols saber com serà la teva estada a l’Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron? Aquí trobaràs tota la informació.
There are multiple reasons why a cornea might be damaged. When this happens, a cornea transplant is performed which involves changing that part of the affected eye for another healthy one from a donor.
The main pathologies that can lead to a cornea transplant are: keratocon, scars and ulcers, corneal dystrophies (especially Fuchs’ dystrophy) and decompensation from previous surgeries and treatments.
The main symptoms that are detected when a cornea is damaged are:
Clinical diagnosis is essential, but there are also different tests to see if a corneal transplant should be carried out, and in particular, what kind is required. The tests are:
The type of transplant varies depending on the affected part of the cornea.
A heart transplant is when a new heart is implanted. When the organs to be transplanted are the heart and the lungs, this is known as a “cardiopulmonary” transplant. This procedure is necessary when the patient suffers from a heart failure that limits their daily activity and all other treatment options have been exhausted.
The purpose of the transplant is to implant a heart from another person (usually from a donor in a state of brain death) to take over the functions of the heart of the sick person. Sometimes, heart disease causes lung problems or vice versa: pulmonary disease can cause heart disease. In these cases, the heart and the lungs must be transplanted, which is called a "cardiopulmonary transplant". Depending on the type of illness, one or both organs will be transplanted, whatever offers the maximum benefit at the lowest risk.
Before the intervention, a team of professionals must study the patient following a clinical and surgical protocol in order to guarantee success.
The operation is performed under general anaesthesia. During the process of heart transplant, the sick heart is removed and in its place a new one is implanted. Sometimes, it is also necessary to transplant the lungs.
In order to perform these operations, a multidisciplinary team of highly specialised and experienced professionals is required, as well as advanced technology and appropriate facilities.
Post-operative care is handled by the Intensive Care Unit, where intensive doctors, cardiac surgeons, cardiologists and pulmonologists take care of the patient until they are stable, when they are then moved on to a conventional hospital ward.
During this process, the doctor indicates personalised immunosuppressive therapy programme and infection prevention to be followed by the patient, along with any appropriate modifications that might be needed during the post-operative period.
A transfusion of blood and/or haemoderivatives is used to replace blood components that are vital for the survival of patients: blood cells, platelets and plasma, which cannot be replaced by other alternatives.
This treatment is indicated in patients who present a lack of essential blood components at any given time.
Transfusions carry a set of risks and the decision to undergo a transfusion should only be taken by a doctor after looking at the patient’s condition and taking an analysis and assessment of the situation. In this case, patients must always sign an authorisation document called an “informed consent” form.
Blood and its components are obtained from volunteers and altruistic donors. Before making a blood donation, donors must fill out a questionnaire about their state of health and, in addition, they must undergo a medical examination. All the blood components obtained are then analysed to make sure there are no diseases that can be transmitted through the blood.
Before making the transfusion, we must verify the blood derivative is compatible with the patient's blood. The physician in charge must assess the risk and benefits of treatment for the patient.
All the components are administered through a vein with a venous catheter.
Although blood transfusions are now very safe, some undesired side effects may occur:
The transmission of infectious diseases associated with blood is very unlikely nowadays. All donated blood is subject to prior analysis to find out about the blood group and prevent the transmission of infectious diseases such as syphilis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, Chagas disease and infectious diseases
The transmission of infectious diseases associated with blood is very unlikely nowadays. All donated blood is subject to prior analysis to find out about the blood group and prevent the transmission of infectious diseases such as syphilis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, Chagas disease and human T-lymphotrophic virus.
Radiotherapy is a type of oncology treatment that uses radiation to eliminate tumour cells from the area of the organism where it is being applied.
Radiotherapy is used to treat some, but not all, types of cancer. Sometimes it is used as the only treatment, other times, in combination with other treatments, such as surgery or chemotherapy. The objective is to reduce the size of the tumour before surgery or to destroy the tumour cells after the surgical procedure.
In order to apply this treatment, the linear accelerator and the cobalt unit are used. For the duration of the treatment, between 1 and 7 weeks, patients must come to the Hospital daily to receive it. During this time, the total dose of radiation is distributed per session. The duration and number of the sessions depends on each individual case.
Radiotherapy acts on the tumour and destroys malignant cells, preventing them from growing and reproducing. This type of treatment is based on the use of ionising radiation and is painless.
Radiotherapy treatment can cause a series of side effects that appear during the course of treatment, in the part of the body that is being treated. They are different in each person, and can be more or less intense. They are stronger if the patient is receiving chemotherapy during radiotherapy. The most frequent effects are changes to skin and tiredness, as well as nausea and vomiting, hair loss in the treated area, inflammation in the mouth, lack of saliva, difficulty in swallowing food, diarrhoea or discomfort while urinating.
Radiotherapy treatment can also cause a series of effects that appear years after treatment and can become chronic. These are infrequent, but can occur. It depends on the part of the body in where the treatment is received, the amount and duration of the radiotherapy and whether chemotherapy was also received.
Some longer-term side effects are: changes in the brain such as loss of memory or difficulty in moving, infertility, arm oedema, changes in the mouth (lack of saliva, tooth decay, bone damage) or secondary tumours.
Chemotherapy consists of combining different types of medications that destroy cancer cells in different ways. It acts on these cells that are rapidly reproducing, cancer cells and healthy cells, too.
Chemotherapy is administered in different ways and for various reasons:
The human body is made up of different cells that each have a certain function. Cancer begins when a group of cells reproduces very quickly and uncontrollably. This affects the cells’ function and, therefore, stops the body functioning normally.
Chemotherapy acts on these cells, which may or may not be cancerous, that are rapidly reproducing. This causes side effects, which will depend on the medication, dose, duration and each individual person.
Chemotherapy can be intravenous or oral, meaning it can be administered by the vein or by the mouth. The first option is the most common.
To administer this treatment, sometimes a catheter is left in place that is then connected to a disc below the skin. The medication is administered through this device. This catheter is called a port-a-cath, although there are more types of catheters. The way the vein is accessed depends on the characteristics of the person and the duration of the treatment.
Chemotherapy is applied at intervals and the duration depends on the type of programme, control and treatment.
Chemotherapy can produce the following side effects:
ECMO is a technique that is used in critical patients suffering from very serious respiratory and/or cardiovascular diseases in which conventional life support is not enough. The machine temporarily replaces the function of the lung or heart and allows the organs to rest, while the underlying pathology is healed.
The machine extracts the blood through a thick cannula located in a large vein, moves it through a centrifugal pump into the oxygenator, where oxygen is incorporated and carbon dioxide is removed.
Subsequently, it is reintroduced into the patient’s body through another vein, in which case the strategy is called ECMO VV, veno-venous, and the support offered is respiratory, or through an artery, called ECMO VA, from venoarterial, and the support offered is cardiorespiratory.
Regardless of the support strategy chosen, this is a highly complex technique associated with a high risk of serious complications. That is why, in order to ensure excellent care, a well-organised programme is required, with optimal material and sufficient numbers of properly trained staff. The cases must be concentrated in leading centres with the necessary resources and a strong multidisciplinary team.
The centre must conform to the recommendations of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) to offer excellent care. The ECMO team must be made up of a small group of professionals from different disciplines and specialties, alongside extra nursing staff and medical personnel for safe ECMO care.
Vall d'Hebron has offered the technique via the Paediatric Intensive Care Department since 2002 and via the Intensive Care Department of the General Hospital since 2016. The Centre has the appropriate material for safe care. Training courses have been organised to create the ECMO team, whose training is topped up with refresher courses depending on the level of care offered. These courses follow the recommendations of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO), with content that covers the goals defined by the organisation.
The Cardiovascular Critical Care Unit is a part of the Cardiology Department at Vall d’Hebron. It treats people with acute and serious cardiovascular disease. It mainly looks after cases of complex ischaemic heart disease, such as acute myocardial infarctions or chest angina.
The Cardiovascular Critical Care Unit (initially known as the Coronary Care Unit) was created in 1971 to admit patients with acute myocardial infarction, or other acute cardiovascular diseases. It also dealt with cardiac surgery post-operative care. In 1989 the unit was divided into two. The current Cardiovascular Critical Care Unit became responsible for the patients and became a part of the Cardiology Department.
In addition to providing multidisciplinary care for patients of all ages who suffer this condition, the objectives of Vall d’Hebron Hospital’s Hereditary Angioedema Unit include teaching and research in this field.
The Hereditary Angioedema Unit (UAEH) of Vall d’Hebron University Hospital’s Allergology Department has been treating patients with this disorder for more than 25 years.
UAEH outpatients are treated by allergology specialists in a multidisciplinary manner in the Outpatient Clinic in the Old Nursing School and in the Children’s and Women’s Hospital, ensuring transference and continuity of care from childhood through to adulthood for this genetic, lifelong condition.
Oculoplastic and orbital surgery is a sub-specialism that treats the pathology related to the eye attachments, with four main fields of interest: orbital pathology, tear duct anomalies, anophthalmic cavity pathology and eyelid disorders.
The main characteristic of this field is its multi-disciplinary nature, due to the diversity of systemic diseases that may be involved. It is also an area that touches on other specialisms, including maxillofacial surgery, ear, nose and throat, plastic surgery and neurosurgery.
Treatment in this field often involves inter-relation with other medical specialisms, including endocrinology, internal medicine, radiology and oncology. We also provide medical and surgical care for oculoplastic pathology at the Children’s and Women’s Hospital.
This Section treats conditions affecting the optic nerve and Strabismus, a loss of ocular alignment.
This Section treats conditions affecting the optic nerve, whether secondary to intracranial hypertension, inflammatory/demyelinating, ischemic, infiltration-related (such as sarcoidosis), compressive, autoimmune, due to nutritional/toxic deficits, paraneoplastic or genetic, those affecting the visual field due to involvement of the visual pathway, whether cranial tumours, stroke, traffic accidents, infections (meningitis, encephalitis…) and those affecting pupil shape, size or reactivity.
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