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The Endocrine, Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Unit is part of the General Surgery Department and has two main purposes: on the one hand, we handle tasks related to endocrine surgery, and, on the other, we also handle metabolic and bariatric issues.
We offer excellence in care for thyroid surgery, and our clinical research and the use of the latest techniques, such as recurrent nerve monitoring and visual amplification of the surgical field, mean the care provided for this pathology guarantees the highest standards, both in benign and malignant pathology.
As for parathyroid pathology, we always try to use minimally invasive techniques.
Adrenal pathology is addressed primarily through laparoscopic surgery, and the Unit has acquired extensive experience over the years.
In the fields of bariatrics and metabolism, we perform all types of technique, both restrictive and malabsorptive and mixed techniques: gold standard, laparoscopic gastric bypass and vertical laparoscopy.
The introduction of robotic surgery at the Unit means we have become pioneers in robotic bariatric surgery, with the creation of a model of robotic surgical technique for gastric bypass and tubular gastroplasty.
Surgery is a fundamental pillar for patients diagnosed with morbid obesity living with health problems such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiocirculatory problems and respiratory disorders. The objective of bariatric surgery is twofold: on the one hand, to re-educate eating habits so that the maximum loss of excess weight can be achieved in the shortest amount of time possible in a sustainable way and, on the other hand, to prevent, reduce and treat obesity-related comorbidity.
Our arsenal of surgical techniques, such as gastric bypass and vertical gastrectomy, includes more complex techniques to alleviate the devastating effects of obesity on such patients. Likewise, in the last 15 years, developments in robotic surgery (where the surgeon operates on the patient through the use of a robot that responds to their orders, improving precision, vision and possibilities of movement) mean these techniques can be carried out more safely and have become more commonplace.
Vall d'Hebron University Hospital is a European reference centre in robotic surgery for obesity. In 2012, we were the first hospital in Spain to operate on the first adolescent patients with morbid obesity, and we are currently recognised as a centre of European excellence.
The joint work of bariatric surgeons and endocrinologists means the Unit is in a privileged position when it comes to metabolic surgery to treat diabetes, when appropriate.
The Section carries out its own research projects, collaborating with other hospitals and other Departments within our Hospital, further information about which can be found in the publications and research sections.
For teaching, our Section has two resident doctors who rotate periodically. We also train medical students from the Autonomous University of Barcelona in the surgical disciplines related to our Unit.
The Abdominal Wall Surgery Unit is a part of the General Surgery Department and has a long tradition in this field. It deals with patients with generic pathologies and, above all, with complex wall pathologies, which is a field where many patients struggle to find an adequate solution to their problem when it is handled as a general surgery issue.
Vall d'Hebron University Hospital has a specific Unit in the field of abdominal wall surgery to help evolve from a specialist unit to a super-specialist unit. This evolution is due to the magnitude of the clinical-therapeutic information that is currently needed to treat general surgery and digestive tract patients in the most appropriate way. Abdominal wall surgery is fully defined and has its own section.
At our Unit, we offer the current forms of treatment used to tackle this pathology as well as lines of clinical research to constantly improve the treatment of these patients.
In terms of pre-clinical research, i.e. prior to studies with humans, our focus is on translational medicine (taking research from the laboratory to the patient), we have close links to the General Surgery Research Group and, in particular, with its Abdominal Wall Pathology Research Unit, led by Dr M. Antònia Arbós Via. Through this group, we aim to carry out pioneering research, both nationally and internationally.
Our Unit is structured at different levels, and can meet any and all needs thanks to this fusion of preclinical and clinical work.
At the Thoracic Surgery and Lung Transplants Department at Vall d'Hebron Hospital, we are pioneers and a reference centre in lung transplants and the treatment of lung cancer with minimally invasive techniques.
Since the inauguration of the Department, in 1969, our goal has been to provide comprehensive care for patients suffering from thoracic surgical disease, to improve their quality of life using highly specialised techniques. To achieve this, our work with thoracic surgeons in multidisciplinary teams is key. This collaboration enriches us as professionals as well as people.
As for minimally invasive techniques, video-assisted thoracoscopy allows us to extract the pulmonary lobe with only two or three small incisions. With traditional techniques, this would require one incision of about 15 or 20 cm. This technique therefore causes less bleeding and has less impact on ventilation mechanics.
So the video-assisted thoracoscopy has less of an impact on the immune system and allows patients to get back to their normal life sooner. This technique requires high-precision accuracy, and can only be carried out by highly specialised professionals with a large amount of experience.
We are also the only hospital in Catalonia to carry out lung transplants for children and adults: the Thoracic Surgery Department was the first in Spain to carry out such a successful transplant in 1990.
At the General and Digestive Surgery Department we provide care for patients who need surgical treatment. The professional team is divided into subspecialties, which means our professionals have a high degree of knowledge in various specific areas. This high level of specialisation, together with our research, is key to offering the best service and maintaining our place as leaders, both in Spain and in Europe, in the treatment of various diseases.
The General and Digestive Surgery Unit is divided up into four independent sub-units, each of which is a benchmark in its sub-speciality: The Colon and Rectal Surgery Unit, the Endocrine, Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Unit, the Oesophagogastric Surgery Unit and the Abdominal Wall Surgery Unit.
This Department carries out activity across several areas: hospitalisation, emergencies, outpatient clinics and in local primary care centres: Chafarinas and Sant Andreu. Outpatient and walk in surgery is carried out at the Pere Virgili Health Park.
Our team of professionals are also members of various multidisciplinary teams, such as the Breast Pathology and Gynaecological Oncology Surgery units, both part of the Gynaecology Department. This multidisciplinary working method, together with our high level of specialisation, allow us to offer our patients the highest quality care.
The Surgical Block, which opened in 2016, means we can work in integrated operating theatres equipped with all the latest technology, which guarantees the highest quality and safety in surgery, ultimately leading to the best quality of care for our patients.
The General Surgery Service is part of the Research Institute’s General and Digestive Surgery Research Group (VHIR), as recognised by the Catalan government's University and Research Grant Management Agency (AGAUR) (2017 SGR 1476)
At Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, we have a teaching unit that trains postgraduate students in general and digestive surgery. We regularly organise continued education courses accredited by the Catalan Council for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, and we actively participate in teaching as part of the medical degree course at the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital Teaching Unit, part of the Faculty of Medicine of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the PhD Programme of the Surgery Department of the UAB.
The Colon and Rectal Surgery Unit is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of pathologies of the colon, rectum and anus.
The Colon and Rectal Surgery Unit is a reference centre for this type of operation, and is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the colon, rectum and anus. Currently, the medical team is made up of surgeons who are devoted exclusively to coloproctology.
The core of this teaching unit is provided by the General and Digestive Surgery Department, with participation from Anaesthesia, Radiodiagnosis, Thoracic Surgery and Vascular Surgery.
Training itinerary for General Surgery and Digestive System
Since it was founded in 1969, the Thoracic Surgery Department has been dedicated to completing care for people with thoracic disorders requiring surgery, whilst always seeking to maintain the highest standards of quality and excellence. The calibre of the training residents receive in this specialisation enables then to go on to become thoracic surgeons upon completion of their training, either at Vall d’Hebron or in other national or international centres.
Thoracic Surgery Training Itinerary
The cornerstone of Thoracic Surgery is the Thoracic Surgery Department, with participation from General Surgery, Radiology, Respiratory Medicine, Cardiac Surgery, Vascular Surgery and Intensive Care Medicine.
Resident doctors can carry out pioneering techniques such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for pulmonary, pleural, and mediastinal pathologies; and other procedures such as thoracic sympathectomy treatment for hyperhidrosis palmaris and thoracic wall and diaphragm surgery. Surgery to treat pleural disorders and lung transplants in adults and children is also carried out. Residents also take part in oncology treatment through tracheal reconstruction and lung cancer surgery.
In addition, resident doctors must familiarise themselves with diagnostic imaging; be it in pneumology, radiology, ultrasound, or direct or video-assisted endoscopy.
During their rotation in the Intensive Care Unit, specialists have the chance to apply their knowledge of pulmonary function and physiopathology of chronic and acute respiratory failure for the proper management of patients with critical respiratory disorders.
The Thoracic Surgery Department has carried out multiple experimental surgery studies as part of the General Surgery research group (trachea transplant, new therapies using aerostatic products, ex vivo lung perfusion, etc.) and is currently researching lung transplants using animal models.
We encourage residents to take part in sessions, seminars, committees and the different courses and conferences to complement their training in organ transplant and donation, advances in respiratory medicine and pleural disorders. They are also urged to take part in scientific events held by the Catalan Thoracic Surgery Society, to keep up to date with scientific methodology and research.
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