Treatment is carried out in accordance with current medical standards as well as national and European recommendations. The entire department is ISO-certified. A specialist in anesthesiology and intensive care medicine is available around the clock at the hospital.

A specialist in anesthesiology and intensive care medicine is available around the clock at the hospital.

• Individual anesthesia preparation and consultation, incl. telemedicine

• Pre-anesthesia outpatient department

   

During surgery

• Treatment at eight anesthesia workstations 
• For surgeries as part of both inpatient and day clinic stays: 
  • General anesthesia (full anesthesia, inhalation anesthesia, total intravenous anesthesia, sedation analgesia aka. “light anesthesia”)
  • Regional anesthesia, e.g. by lumbar puncture (spinal anesthesia), ultrasound-guided nerve blocks such as scalene block, axillary block (brachial plexus block)
• For surgeries with a risk of bleeding risk: Patient blood management
• Anesthesia in individual risk situations, e.g. danger of confusion (delirium) after surgery
• Anesthesia for very elderly and frail patients 
• Anesthesia in children (from the age of 4)

• “Green anesthesia” taking into account sustainability and the health of the planet

   

After surgery
 

• Recovery room
• Individual pain therapy after surgery
• Early mobilization in the recovery room after implantation of large joints

• Intensive care monitoring unit after major surgery in the event of post-operative risks or critical illness

   

In hospital and ready for action at any time

• Individual therapy for chronic pain including supportive acupuncture
• Cardiac alarm team and emergency medicine
• Insertion of venous accesses including into central blood vessels (cava catheter)

Our medical foci in detail

Anesthesiology 

Anesthesiological care begins before surgery with an information and education session by telephone, video call, or in the outpatient clinic, the prescription of medication to prepare for surgery, and anesthesiological clearance for surgery. Depending on the individual risk assessment, measures are taken to avoid any risks or  complications, for example, through further examinations or extended monitoring during and after surgery. 

Please fill out the patient questionnaire carefully and discuss all questions with your anesthesia team during the preparatory consultation. Please follow all behavioral guidelines including adherence to fasting times. 

During surgery, the anesthetist ensures that the patient is pain-free with or without loss of consciousness. This so-called general or regional anesthesia is performed under constant monitoring and maintenance of vital organ functions.  

The care is rounded off by post-operative aftercare, which includes monitoring organ functions and all diagnostic and therapeutic methods for pain treatment. Our recovery room is equipped with 14 positions.

Intensive care medicine

The expertise of the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine also extends to all patients who require intensive care treatment, regardless of the nature and origin of the underlying condition. The responsibility of our department as ward manager of the recovery room with a complete monitoring unit including mechanical ventilation and cardiovascular resuscitation facilities means ultimate responsibility for the treatment of critically ill patients. Holistic intensive medical care includes treatment of the underlying condition, qualified intensive therapy (e.g. support of cardiovascular function, ventilation and respiratory therapy, infusion therapy and nutrition), intensive care and, if necessary, transfer to intensive care units in other hospitals with extended treatment requirements.

Emergency medicine

Emergency medicine is a core competence of anesthesiology. Like pilots, anesthetists also regularly train for critical treatment situations in the simulator center. We are therefore able to provide optimum care for emergency patients thanks to our specialist knowledge and technical skills.

Medical staff from our department and anesthesia nursing staff are called via emergency pager within a very short time to attend to critically ill patients at Evangelisches Krankenhaus.

Pain therapy

The treatment of pain during and after surgery is one of the basic tasks of anesthesia. Painkillers, blockade procedures and supportive acupuncture are used. The options for pain therapy are discussed individually with the patient during the anesthesia preparation consultation.

Welcome to the recovery room and intensive care unit

Several professional groups collaborate closely as a team to ensure that you have a positive experience in the recovery room after your surgery, and to optimize your personal treatment outcome. You will find useful information about your stay in the recovery room in the relevant sections.

Your stay in the recovery room

The recovery room is located on the 1^st attic floor. Here we can care for up to 14 patients after their surgeries. The equipment fulfills all current requirements for a monitoring area. Thus we are well prepared for all eventualities.

Our qualified nursing team is specially trained in the care and monitoring of patients after surgery. Further training on intensive care medicine, pain, heart alarms, and aromatherapy strengthens the skills of our staff in the recovery room. The well-being of our patients after the surgery is also very important for the nursing team. They will not only treat you with competence, but also with kindness, understanding, and plenty of attention. Non-medicinal options are offered, such as pre-heated bedding, warm air blankets, cool packs, low-pain positioning, and aromatherapy products. Our lavender care oil is very popular. You are also welcome to listen to music. A short visit from your family members is possible in special cases after consultation with the nursing staff; in the case of children or patients at risk of delirium, we always invite family members or  caregivers into the recovery room.

At Evangelisches Krankenhaus, we have set ourselves the goal of performing blood-saving surgeries. During the surgery, blood is collected from the surgical site, mechanically reprocessed, and returned to the patient (transfusion of the patient’s own blood). This is an extremely gentle procedure, which means that we have to resort to transfusions of donor blood much less often. Mechanical blood processing begins in the operating theater and continues in the recovery room.

If it is necessary to provide you with “intensive” care for longer, you can also stay with us overnight. In this case, we will of course endeavor to provide you with the things you need on a daily basis. 

As soon as the bodily functions are stable and the pain is managed, the patient is transferred back to the ward or to the day clinic so that the stay in the recovery room is kept as short as possible. 

Prim. Prof. Dr. Langenecker: “Our department is ISO-certified. A particular quality feature of the post-operative phase is the continuous presence of a specialist in anesthesiology and intensive care medicine. This ensures rapid emergency medical care in the event of a complication. Our network for patient safety is therefore tight, even setting new standards.”

Pain management

Pain is subjective, and the response to painkillers varies greatly from person to person. We are therefore dependent on your cooperation in pain management. We use a pain scale to assess the intensity of the pain. 

You show us the current pain level on a scale from 0 to 10 (0 = no pain, 10 = strongest pain imaginable). We will decide together with you whether you will receive additional pain relief prescribed by the anesthesiologist. To this end, we use basic painkillers as well as the strongest painkillers (opioids). – It has been scientifically proven that the fear of developing an addiction is unfounded when it comes to post-operative pain.