Osteosynthesis for leg fracture in Hospital Cologne-Merheim

About the department

According to the prestigious Focus magazine, the Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery at the Hospital Cologne-Merheim ranks among the top German medical facilities specializing in knee, hip, and shoulder surgery! 

The department offers the full range of medical services in the areas of its specialization. In the field of orthopedics, the key focus is on knee and hip replacement surgery. The department is certified as the Maximum Care Center for Joint Replacement Surgery by the German Society for Orthopedics and Orthopedic Surgery (DGOOC). The specialists at the Center for Joint Replacement Surgery perform more than 550 knee and hip joint replacement surgical interventions every year, and therefore they are rightfully proud of their vast clinical experience and successful results in this field. The department's orthopaedists also successfully perform minimally traumatic arthroscopic joint interventions. The team of trauma surgeons is responsible for the conservative and surgical treatment of musculoskeletal injuries of varying severity. The department has the status of a supraregional Trauma Center and cooperates closely with the University Hospital Cologne in this field. The medical facility offers innovative treatment methods, state-of-the-art equipment, and highly skilled professionals, which form a solid foundation for successful clinical practice. Despite technological advances and the automation of many clinical processes, the focus of the department's physicians is on the patients with their individual needs and wishes.

The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Bertil Bouillon. He is an outstanding specialist who has repeatedly been ranked among the best German doctors in the field of his competence.

The department is known as one of the best medical facilities in Germany, specializing in knee and hip replacement surgery. Regular consultations are held here, during which the attending physician informs the patient about the possible treatment options for his joint pathology. Joint replacement surgery is the last-line treatment. Whenever possible, the specialists use only conservative therapy, prescribing drugs, physiotherapy, intra-articular injections, etc. However, in cases where patients have severe joint lesions, conservative treatment methods are often ineffective, and the only way to eliminate pain and movement limitations is to replace the joint with an artificial prosthesis.

Joint replacement surgery is performed in state-of-the-art operating rooms with all the necessary equipment. The department uses only minimally invasive techniques for joint replacement surgery, which involve a surgical approach through skin and soft tissue incisions a few centimeters long. Recovery after minimally invasive interventions is extremely rapid, pain syndrome is less severe, and the risk of complications in the postoperative period is very low. Highly accurate prosthesis positioning is provided through the use of modern computer navigation systems and intraoperative imaging methods. It is worth noting that planning and carrying out the world's first implantation of an endoprosthesis with i-Pod navigation made the department famous in Germany and other countries around the world. The department's doctors cooperate with the best Rehabilitation Centers in the region, so, if desired, patients can undergo a rehabilitation course on an inpatient or outpatient basis immediately after joint replacement surgery.

An integral part of the department's clinical practice is the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries, ranging from simple household injuries to complex and multiple injuries. Of particular interest to the medical team is the treatment of injuries of the upper limbs (shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, and hand), highly severe injuries, and injuries in elderly patients (geriatric injuries). The department's specialists also have unique experience in providing care to patients with occupational injuries. Trauma surgeons cooperate closely with physiotherapists and occupational therapists to help patients restore the motor functions of their injured limbs, including fine motor skills.

The department is certified as a highly specialized center for treating injuries in elderly patients by the German Federal Association of Geriatrics (BVG). The medical facility primarily admits patients with hip fractures in the hip joint area, shoulder fractures in the shoulder joint area, pelvic fractures, spinal fractures, and periprosthetic fractures (fractures in the area of previously implanted prostheses). In many cases of such injuries, surgery is required, and the department's specialists perform these interventions using minimally invasive techniques. During the treatment of geriatric injuries, the specialists strive to provide patients with maximum restoration of mobility, independence in everyday life, and a high quality of life.

The department's key clinical focuses include:

• Orthopedics
  • Joint replacement surgery
    • Knee replacement surgery
    • Hip replacement surgery
    • Shoulder replacement surgery
    • Revision surgery for the replacement of previously implanted knee and hip joint prostheses
  • Arthroscopic surgery
    • Arthroscopic interventions on the shoulder joint
      • Shoulder impingement syndrome
      • Frozen shoulder
      • Calcific tendinitis of the shoulder
      • Shoulder arthritis
      • Rotator cuff tear
      • Pectoralis major tendon rupture
      • Shoulder instability
      • SLAP syndrome
      • Humerus fractures
    • Arthroscopic interventions on the elbow joint
      • Distal biceps brachii tendon rupture
      • Elbow dislocation
      • Elbow instability
      • Tennis elbow
      • Golfer's elbow
      • Elbow arthritis
    • Arthroscopic interventions on the knee joint
      • Meniscus tear
      • Anterior and posterior cruciate ligament ruptures
      • Patellar dislocation
      • Traumatic injuries of the knee cartilaginous tissue
    • Arthroscopic interventions on the ankle joint
      • Ankle fracture
      • Distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injuries
      • Ankle sprains
• Trauma surgery
  • Household injuries
  • Occupational injuries
  • Severe and multiple injuries
  • Injuries in elderly patients (geriatric injuries)
• Other medical services