The University Hospital of Cologne/Köln is one of the largest wide-ranging medical institutions in Germany. It was founded in 1908. During its 112-year history, the hospital has gained international recognition. The hospital is a clinical centre for innovative treatment of various diseases. Every year more than 370,000 patients are admitted here, of whom around 63,000 are inpatients.
The medical centre employs around 10,900 specialists from 80 countries. Among them are more than 1,000 doctors of the highest category. Medical specialists at the Hospital Cologne regularly receive further training at prestigious hospitals in America, the UK and elsewhere.
The institution has 35 specialised clinics and centres and 14 research institutes. The most notable among them are:
Breast treatment centre;
Centre for Integrated Oncology;
IVF Centre;
Neurosurgery Clinic;
Experimental Surgery Centre;
Cardiac Centre;
Centre for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Aesthetic Medicine;
Centre for Radiology and Neuroradiology;
Organ transplant clinic;
Clinical Research Centre;
Centre for Rare Diseases;
Palliative care clinic;
Diagnostic Centre;
Centre for General, Visceral, Oncological Surgery and Transplantation.
The hospital has a total area of more than 200,000 sq. m. It has nine advanced intensive care units. The hospital has an inpatient capacity of 1,573 beds. The University Hospital of Cologne has several underground car parks for patients' vehicles.
oncology;
gastroenterology;
neurology and neurosurgery;
cardiology;
radiology;
organ transplantation;
surgery;
oncohematology;
plastic surgery;
obstetrics and gynaecology;
urology;
reproductive medicine.
Treatment in a foreign country raises many questions: issuing visas, sending medical documents, interpreter services and more.
All these problems can be solved at the International Department of the Cologne University Hospital. It is located on the ground floor of the main building, to the left of the main entrance.
To make sure that international patients use the hospital services as comfortably and safely as possible, they are provided with coordinators. They help with all organisational matters.
If necessary, an interpreter is provided for the patient. The main services of the International Department include:
visa support for the patient and accompanying persons;
arranging a consultation with the doctor;
hotel and hotel reservations;
translation of medical documentation;
calculation of treatment costs;
accompanying patients to doctor's appointments and procedures;
arrangement of transfers to and from Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf or Frankfurt Airport, as well as transfers to and from the hotel or hotel.
More than 90% of patients are satisfied with the service and recommend the University Hospital of Cologne.
Many innovative treatments and drugs are clinically tested here and become available to patients sooner than in other institutions. These include drugs for targeted therapy and chemotherapy.
In 2005, the Cologne Hospital opened the Cologne-Bonn Centre for Integrated Oncology (CIO). More than 30 specialised centres and institutes operate here. Every year, the CIO treats over 24,000 patients.
The University Hospital of Köln has opened Germany's first stereotactic and functional neurosurgery hospital. Patients with neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease and dystonia are treated here. The clinic also treats patients with obsessive-compulsive disorders and severe depression by implanting electrodes in damaged areas of the brain.
The hospital has a navigation app, UKKöln Navi, which helps patients navigate around the hospital premises. The system contains detailed information about the opening times of the pharmacies, canteen, cafeteria, chapel and playground on the health centre grounds. Further destinations can be added to the UKKöln Navi if required.
In 2019, Germany's largest emergency department for cancer patients opened at the University Hospital of Cologne.
The Centre for Integrated Oncology (CIO) has been in operation for over 15 years. More than 24,000 patients from all over the world are treated here each year. The centre is made up of 30 specialist departments, clinics and cancer research institutes. Among them are:
radiology department;
skin cancer clinic;
gynaecological tumour and breast cancer centres;
medical oncology department;
liver cancer clinic;
oncology clinic for gastric tumours;
neuro-oncology department;
biochemistry unit.
The centre for integrated oncology is certified by the German Cancer Society. This confirms the high quality of patient care. It is the most common place to go for treatment of:
brain tumours;
breast cancer;
malignant neoplasms of the lungs;
prostate cancer;
gastrointestinal cancer;
gynaecological tumours;
blood cancers;
malignant neoplasms of the eye;
neuroendocrine tumours;
sarcomas.
The University Hospital of Cologne offers preventive screenings for the early detection of various types of cancer. A check-up programme is available for women, which aims to diagnose breast cancer.
| CANCER CHECK-UP |
|---|
| Blood test for cancer markers |
| Biopsy |
| CT/MRI/PET SCAN |
| Consultation with an oncologist |
The range of procedures for breast examinations depends on the age of the patient and the individual risk of developing the disease.
Women who are carriers of the BRCA mutation have higher risks. They undergo several tests, including an MRI, breast ultrasound and a mammogram.
The Department of Nuclear Medicine performs multimodal imaging diagnostics as well as radionuclide therapy for various malignant diseases. Thyroid tumours, neuroblastoma, lymphoma and other malignant pathologies are diagnosed and treated here.
Acute leukaemia and myelodysplastic syndrome are among the key areas of treatment and research at the Centre for Integrated Oncology. It is Europe's largest specialised clinic for patients with acute myeloid leukaemia, acute lymphatic leukaemia, myelodysplastic syndrome and other malignant pathologies of the blood or lymphatic system.
The hospital provides allogeneic and autologous bone marrow transplants.
Autologous stem cell transplantation has been performed at the University Hospital of Cologne since 1992. The patient's own, previously harvested and cryopreserved cells are used for the transplant. Material for transplantation is collected in the Haematopheresis Department. About 140 autologous BMTs are performed each year at the hospital. This method of bone marrow transplantation is indicated in the treatment of Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma as well as multiple myeloma.
Allogeneic bone marrow transplants have been carried out at this centre since 1999. This type of transplantation involves the use of donor material. Preference is given to stem cells from a related donor. The material is taken from the haematopheresis unit. If no suitable related donor is available, an unrelated donor from a worldwide stem cell registry will be sought. The Köln Clinic has access to German and international donor databases.
About 100 allogeneic BMTs are performed each year at the hospital. This procedure is most often indicated for conditions such as:
acute myeloid leukaemia;
acute lymphatic leukaemia;
chronic lymphatic leukaemia;
chronic myeloid leukaemia;
Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas;
multiple myeloma;
myelodysplastic syndrome;
aplastic anaemia.
Medication therapy and surgical treatment for cardiovascular abnormalities are carried out at the Cardiology Centre. The centre has been in operation since 2007.
It consists of clinics for cardiology, cardio-thoracic surgery, vascular surgery and paediatric cardiology. More than 15,000 patients from all over the world are treated here each year.
The Heart Clinic is Germany's leading centre for the treatment of congenital and acquired heart defects. In total, the clinic performs more than 2,800 surgeries a year. Of these, around 1,700 are performed using a heart-lung machine. The most common surgeries that are performed at the heart centre are:
aortocoronary bypass surgery;
catheter-assisted TAVI valve implantation;
aortic surgery.
An interdisciplinary team of doctors decides which method of treatment is appropriate for the patient. The Cardiology Centre uses the full range of modern cardiac surgery options. This includes MIDCAB-OP and OPCAB surgery with an incision under the left breast. With both techniques, shunts are inserted into the beating heart. More than 97% of these interventions proceed without any complications.
Catheter-assisted aortic valve replacement (TAVI) has been available at the University Hospital of Köln since 2008. This minimally invasive procedure has been performed on more than 1,500 patients.
| TAVI HEART VALVE REPLACEMENT |
|---|
| Specialist consultation |
| Comprehensive examination |
| Minimally invasive valve replacement through femoral artery puncture |
| Rehabilitation |
Treatment for diseases of the spinal cord, brain and peripheral nerves is available at the Neurosurgical Centre. The main areas of focus of this institution are:
spinal surgery;
neurooncology;
paediatric neurosurgery;
peripheral nerve surgery;
neurovascular surgery;
the hypophysis and skull base surgery.
The centre cooperates with the departments of orthopaedics and traumatology, radiotherapy, radiosurgery and the Centre for Integrated Oncology for the treatment of neurological diseases.
The latest Haag-Streit Surgical microscopes and BrainLab navigation systems are actively used here. These systems increase the precision of the surgeon's interventions on the spine and brain.
Intraoperative neuromonitoring is used to track the function of the spinal cord or spinal nerves. The centre has a team of neurophysiologists.
More than 90% of patients of the University Hospital of Cologne are satisfied with the results of their plastic surgery. Various types of reconstructive and aesthetic interventions can be performed there. Patients come for body reconstruction after injuries, illnesses, congenital anomalies and tumour diseases. The centre's priorities are:
reconstructive and plastic facial surgery;
scar plastic surgery;
reconstructive vascular surgery;
post-burn surgery;
resuscitation and reconstruction of the face after paralysis;
mammary gland plasty;
reconstruction of the body after removal of tumours;
eyelid lift.
The Clinic for Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery at the University Hospital of Köln has 104 inpatient beds.
There are 10 top-class doctors and 24 assistants who can help patients. Every year, 2,800 surgeries are carried out at the hospital. Of these, around 1,800 are spinal interventions.
Patients come there to treat deformities, fractures, fractures, infections and tumours of the skeleton. Doctors use endoscopy and neuronavigation, which enables complex surgeries to be carried out with a 98% success rate.
The Clinic for Orthopaedics and Traumatology collaborates with the Centre for Clinical Research in Musculoskeletal Treatment. This enables innovative technologies to be quickly introduced into the work with difficult patients and achieve success.
| УINTERVERTEBRAL HERNIA REPAIR |
|---|
| Consultation with a surgeon |
| Spinal CT Scan |
| Hernia surgery |
| Physiotherapy and kinesitherapy |
| Procedure | Cost |
|---|---|
| Specialist consultation | from €400 |
| Second medical opinion | from €380 |
| PET-CT | from €2,100 |
| MRI | from €1,000 |
| X-ray | from €200 |
| Biopsy | from €2,500 |
| Ultrasound | from €400 |
| Computed tomography | from €600 |
| Histology revision | from €500 |
| Laboratory tests | from €300 |
| Procedure | Cost |
|---|---|
| CyberKnife | from €9,000 |
| Chemotherapy | from €2,900 |
| Mastectomy | from €14,000 |
| Coronary stenting | from €15,000 |
| Removal of intervertebral hernias | from €16,000 |
| MIBG therapy | from €5,000 |
| Brain tumour surgery | from €20,000 |
| Hip joint replacement | from €12,000 |
| Deep brain stimulation | from €27,000 |
| Cataract surgery | from €5,000 |
I want to thank the entire team in 13.1, as well as the radiotherapy team…. During my stay at the Köln University Hospita, everyone was very friendly and helpful. It is always very nice when the personell actually takes time to gen... Read more
The hospital is located in the Lindenthal district of Cologne. The clinic can be reached in less than half an hour from Cologne/Bonn Airport by public transport: trams 9 and 13 and buses 146. Düsseldorf Airport, the third-largest in Germany, is also nearby. The Oliveri Bistro & Café, the Hotel Wohnheim Lindenthalgürtel and the German restaurant Gasthaus Ox are all located near the hospital.
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