Vienna (OTS) – The Upper Austria Tumor Center combines the expertise of 14 hospital locations. The benefits for cancer patients are immense, explains the head of the Tumor Center in the current issue of the Vinzenz magazine. But that is just one of many topics reported on in the current Vinzenz Group magazine.
If you are diagnosed with cancer, you naturally want the best possible treatment. However, the quality of the treatment depends on where you live, because the chance of survival is up to ten percent higher if you are treated in a certified cancer center. In Upper Austria, all 14 hospitals in the state have joined forces to form such a tumor center. This guarantees top-quality medical care that is also close to home.
Since cancer research is becoming increasingly highly specialized, oncologists can only stay up to date by working together. The merger of the hospitals makes a good distribution possible: “Large hospitals are now increasingly treating complex and rare tumors. Smaller hospitals offer treatment close to home and focus on the treatment of common and less complex cancers,” emphasizes Univ.-Doz. Dr. Ansgar Weltermann, oncologist at the Ordensklinikum Linz and head of the tumor center.
In a virtual tumor board, all hospitals can present their patients and discuss ways to achieve optimal treatment.
In addition, all treatment steps – from diagnosis to aftercare – are digitally recorded in a shared tumor database. This makes it possible, for example, to evaluate which therapy helps certain tumor patients.
A robot as assistant for new knee joint
If an artificial knee joint is used, precision is crucial for patient satisfaction with it. A robot system specially designed for orthopedics has recently been used for such an operation in three clinics in which the Vinzenz Group is involved. Prim. Dr. Gerald Ch. Loho, head of the II. Orthopedic Department of the Sacred Heart Hospital in Vienna, is one of the first orthopedic surgeons in Austria to work with the “Velys” robot: “By using highly developed technology, the exact anatomy of the patient can be recorded.” “Velys” then plans the necessary surgical steps according to the individual requirements of each patient. “Velys thus allows perfect alignment of the knee prosthesis, taking into account the correct ligament stability, the tension of the ligaments and the mobility,” explains Prim. Univ.-Doz. Dr. Wolfgang Schneider, head of the I. Orthopedic Department of the Sacred Heart Hospital in Vienna, who also already operates with “Velys”.
To date, “Velys” is only used at six locations throughout Europe, three of which are in Austria: the Sacred Heart Hospital in Vienna, the Orthopaedic Hospital Speising in Vienna and the Order Hospital Linz Barmherzige Schwestern.
Financial side effects
Cancer not only has health consequences, but often financial ones too. Martina Hundertpfund, BA, is a social worker at the Ordensklinikum Linz and supports cancer patients so that their illness does not lead them into a poverty trap. “German studies show that 40 percent of cancer patients experience a worsening of living conditions.” This is because people who are in the middle of their working lives lose their jobs or have to give them up. Full-time employment is often no longer possible due to the reduced ability to work and self-employed people can no longer run their business. In this situation, Hundertpfund offers help and support because “sometimes people don’t dare or don’t even know where to go.” If necessary, the social worker fills out application forms or makes necessary phone calls.
Skin is healthy and beautiful
Sun damage can trigger skin tumors, the treatment of which is often complicated. In complex cases, such as larger tumors in the facial area, plastic surgery is used. Primar Prof. Dr. Boris Todoroff is head of plastic surgery at St. Josef Hospital in Vienna and, together with his team, complements the clinic’s oncology focus. In affected patients, skin can be removed from another part of the body and transferred to the tumor-affected area. Depending on the size of the skin tumor, the procedure takes from half an hour to several hours. It is usually carried out under local anesthesia and sedation. The costs are covered by the health insurance company.
Gallstones: From the operating table to the sofa
30 percent of all adults have gallstones. Hardly anyone knows about them until pain occurs due to colic, inflammation or, in the worst case, even tumors. Since neither crushing nor drug treatment is possible, the diseased organ must be removed. The Barmherzige Schwestern Hospital Vienna has been performing the necessary minimally invasive procedure as an outpatient procedure for over ten years now – the first and so far only hospital in Austria to do so. Univ.- Prof. Dr. Alexander Klaus, Medical Director and Head of Surgery, and his team have performed more than 500 outpatient gallbladder removals during this period, 100 of them in the previous year alone.
Vinzenz magazine: Insights from life in the hospital
The Vinzenz Group magazine, with these and many other articles, appears four times a year and is aimed at people who are passionate about health topics. You can subscribe to the current issue free of charge or read it online as a digital edition.
Vinzenz Group: Health comes from the heart
The Vinzenz Group is one of the largest non-profit health and social enterprises in Austria. From prevention and clinical care to care and rehabilitation, we support people in all phases of life with a diverse range of services and innovative new solutions.
Founded in 1995 by nuns with a long tradition and experience in nursing, we combine deeply rooted Christian values with a great deal of innovative spirit in order to holistically develop Austria’s healthcare in times of change.
With around 10,000 employees in our hospitals, in the numerous care and rehabilitation facilities as well as with new offers such as our health parks, we are supporting more and more people in an increasingly individual way with health issues and illness, both analogue and digital.
Because we are convinced that in the future the best offers will arise from the power of inspiring cooperation, we are running more and more offers together with our partners. To this end, we are constantly looking for new collaborations. Because a new world of health and social issues can only be created through cooperation. It empowers people. And comes from the heart.
www.vinzenzgruppe.at
Inquiries & Contact:
Mag. Günter Schiester, MAS
Vinzenz Group Hospital Holding and Management GmbH, Vienna
Communication
Gumpendorfer Strasse 108, 1060 Vienna
Mobil : +43 664 884 93 302
E-Mail: guenter.schiester@vinzenzgruppe.at
www.vinzenzgruppe.at
#Cancer #therapy #cooperation #Vinzenz #Group #27.05.2024