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.
At the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit of Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, we provide life support treatment. We treat patients who, when an organ fails, require specific treatment to replace that organ’s function. We are a leading reference ICU for congenital heart disease, solid organ transplants, neurocritical patients, burns and spinal cord injuries.
Our mission as a paediatric ICU is to take care of children's health, through effective, efficient and quality health care in the treatment of diseases.
More specifically, our objectives are:
The goal of the Paediatric Cardiology Department is to provide care, teaching and research in the field of heart disease, be it congenital or acquired, from before birth up to adulthood. With more than 40 years’ experience offering patient care, this Department created the Adolescent and Adult Congenital Heart Disease Unit (UCCAA) to provide continuity in care for patients with congenital heart disease
The Paediatric Cardiology Department deals with diseases that affect the heart from the foetal period. Foetal cardiology is developed in collaboration with the Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology Departments, which have all the human and technical resources necessary to guarantee quality care for treatment of heart disease, congenital or otherwise, detected during the foetal period.
The Cardiology Department Arrhythmia Unit treats heart rhythm disorders. It is responsible for diagnosis, treatment, research and training for all illnesses related to arrhythmias. These may be slow or fast. Slow arrhythmias often need a pacemaker to be fitted. Fast arrhythmias may cause the patient to lose consciousness, or even cardiac arrest.
The Arrhythmia Unit works closely with the Critical Cardiology Unit, the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Unit, and the Inpatient and Cardiac Surgery Areas. The Arrhythmia Unit was created in 1975. Since then it has expanded and specialises in various fields. The most important are as follows:
The Anaesthesia, Resuscitation and Pain Management Department provides comprehensive perioperative care for surgical patients, from their arrival to the hospital until they return home. We offer care with more than 30,000 operations a year.
At the Anaesthesia Department, our mission is to offer comprehensive perioperative care, from the moment the patient arrives at the clinic or hospital, during the operation and beyond.
We have a staff of professionals specialised in all areas, essential for the large number of transplants of all kinds that are performed at our Hospital. We should also mention our nursing team specialising in anaesthesia, who begin their career at our Department.
The Department is divided into four main geographical and care areas:
At the Neonatology Department, we are committed to offering personal, individualised care focussed on the development of the baby and encouraging family participation as a key element in the process.
At the Neonatology Department, part of the Maternity and Children's Hospital at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, we are a reference centre for various techniques improving the lives of infants, such as: foetal therapy, ventilation needs and specific invasive respiratory assistance, surgical interventions and cardiac malformations. In addition, we use special blankets in the incubators that protect from noise and light, and we reduce the noise and level of lighting in the room.
The Paediatrics Teaching Unit has extensive experience in training specialists. There are a total of 60 Paediatrics residents at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, 15 per year. Over the last few years, Paediatrics at Vall d’Hebron has been the first choice for new residents, and in the 2017 exam session achieved the best results of any Spanish hospital. In addition to this, we receive residents from hospitals all over the world.
Pediatric training itineraries
Over the last few years, paediatrics at Vall d’Hebron has been residents’ first choice, and in the 2017 exam session achieved the best results of any Spanish hospital.
The Department has a Paediatrics Teaching Subcommittee, comprising twelve tutors and twenty residents overseeing the practical application of the training and its integration into healthcare activities. Thanks to the involvement of these professionals, we can ensure supervised completion of the training programme objectives.
This Teaching Unit comprises different healthcare departments and units, including the Paediatrics, Nephrology, Neonatology, Paediatric Oncology and Haematology, Intensive Care, Neurology, Endocrinology, Infectious Diseases, Allergies, Cardiology, Respiratory Medicine, Gastroenterology, and A&E Departments.
It is vital for residents to train in research methodology as this is necessary to take part in and develop research projects. From the second year onwards, we invite residents to carry out research work, and a minimum number of papers and publications is required in addition to their full cooperation in sessions within the Department.
Why specialise at Vall d’Hebron?
The Neurosurgery Teaching Unit is led by the Neurosurgery Department, with participation from Neurology, Pathological Anatomy, Clinical Neurophysiology, Intensive Care and Neuroradiology.
Neurosurgery training itinerary
The Plastic, Cosmetic and Restorative Surgery Teaching Unit is led by the Plastic Surgery and Burns Department, who work in a team with General Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery and Neurosurgery. The unit also participates in plastic surgery services in other public and private hospitals.
Training itinerary for plastic, aesthetic and restorative surgery
During their training, residents learn about different aspects of internal medicine, with particular emphasis on cardiology, pulmonary pathology, the renal system, and diabetes mellitus. For this reason they do rotations in Pneumology, Nephrology and Endocrinology. After the rotation, specialists deepen their knowledge in intensive care for trauma and burns patients. During their final year, specialists have the opportunity to rotate through specialised areas such as hand surgery or paediatric plastic surgery.
The Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), has its own animal facilities where students can practice microsurgery. Students may also study in the Burns Unit and take part in national and international publications and presentations.
The residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation allows you to gain experience of clinical practice in rehabilitation; an area where all aspects of the specialisation are considered, from orthopaedics, neurology, spinal cord injuries, infant rehabilitation, amputations, lymphoedema, pelvic floor and speech therapy; to pulmonary rehabilitation and community-based treatment for back pain and burns.
We are an active research centre with a high number of publications, at the same time as participating in several national and international programmes. We have also received awards at different conferences in the specialisation.
The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation teaching programme includes key aspects for research, such as training in clinical epidemiology and clinical research methodology. In addition, our residents undertake research competence courses to complement their practical work.
The Paediatric Surgery Unit is divided into the surgical sub-specialisations of digestive surgery, neonatal and foetal surgery, maxillofacial surgery, surgical oncology, thoracic surgery and urological surgery. We are a leader in paediatric surgery in Catalonia and perform the highest number of surgical procedures in Spain. This foremost position would not be possible without the work of other hospital professionals such as anaesthetists, paediatricians, radiographers and specialists, nurses and other professionals.
Pediatric Surgery Training Itinerary
We offer residents the opportunity to master infant surgical pathology, physical examination and interpretation of clinical symptoms in patients who are often unable to express themselves or explain their medical history due to their age.
We train residents in the most common surgical techniques in the specialisation from general surgery, hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, colorectal surgery, oesophagogastric surgery, and paediatric digestive surgery. Our residents also carry out neonatal surgery, paediatric thoracic and surgical oncology, paediatric urology, paediatric maxillofacial surgery and paediatric plastic surgery.
Residents take part in duty shifts in all the subspecialisations of paediatric surgery with the support of the paediatric surgery staff and a resident medical intern. Laparoscopy is currently commonly used by different areas and units within the Digestive System Department, such as neonatal care and urology.
During the first two years of the residency, rotations are carried out in General Surgery, on the paediatric surgery ward, in Outpatient Surgery and Digestive Surgery. The remaining three years are spent in Urology, Oncology and Thoracic Surgery, Neonatal and Research, Maxillofacial and Plastic Surgery. The final year of training is dedicated to optional rotations, Transplant Surgery and a stay at a hospital abroad, with the option to repeat one of the previous rotations.
Residents are obliged to undertake duty shifts during their training period. Apart from the months during the general surgery rotation, duty shifts in Paediatric Surgery are carried out at the Maternity and Children's Hospital.
As far as research is concerned, participation in the department’s active lines of research is stimulated, as well as proposals for any research project that may or may not be related to them and which may result in a doctoral thesis.
The Vall d’Hebron Research Institute maintains different well-established lines of paediatric research, in areas such as experimental surgery, and foetal surgery in particular. In 2015 we created the Congenital Defects Surgery Cellular Therapy bioengineering group , which currently carries out research on spina bifida focusing on prenatal and perinatal aspects. In addition we undertake research on amniotic bands, gastroschisis, oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernias, diaphragmatic and labio-palatine fissure reconstruction, and research into treatments for premature birth.
In terms of clinical research, our Department has pioneered coordination of the first randomized multi-centre study on treatment of parapneumonic empyema (during which video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is compared with drainage and fibrinolytics), and which was later published in the study “Urokinase Versus VATS for Treatment of Empyema: A Randomized Multicenter Clinical Trial”. Paediatrics.
Why should I specialise at Vall d’Hebron?
Select the newsletter you want to receive:
By accepting these conditions, you are agreeing to the processing of your personal data for the provision of the services requested through this portal, and, if necessary, for any procedures required by the administrations or public bodies involved in this processing, and their subsequent inclusion in the aforementioned automated file. You may exercise your rights to access, rectification, cancellation or opposition by writing to web@vallhebron.cat, clearly stating the subject as "Exercising of Data Protection Rights". Operated by: Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron - Institut Català de la Salut. Purpose: Manage the user’s contact information. Legitimisation: Express acceptance of the privacy policy. Rights: To access, rectify, and delete personal information data, as well to the portability thereof and to limit and/or oppose their use. Source: The interested party themselves.