Department of Internal Medicine (oncology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, cardiology, rheumatology) (45)

About the department

The Department of Internal Medicine at the Hospital zum Heiligen Geist in Frankfurt am Main under the direction of Prof. Dr. med. Rainer Duchmann annually diagnoses and treats over 4,500 inpatients with diseases of the entire spectrum of internal medicine.  In addition, the Department receives a large number of patients before and after hospitalization, provides emergency medical care, as well as performs outpatient surgery (colonoscopy). The Department closely collaborates with the Department of Psychosomatics.

In the field of gastroenterology / hepatology, the Hospital zum Heiligen Geist treats all acute and chronic diseases of the esophagus, gastrointestinal tract, biliary tract and pancreas.

The typical gastroenterological clinical pictures treated in the Department include:

• Reflux disease of the esophagus
• Stomach and intestinal ulcers
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Infections of the gastrointestinal tract
• Diverticulum
• Inflammatory bowel diseases
• Liver diseases
• Inflammation of the gallbladder
• Inflammation of the pancreas
• Tumors in the digestive tract

Another priority focus of the Department of Internal Medicine at the Hospital zum Heiligen Geist in Frankfurt am Main is placed on oncological diseases. The Department closely cooperates with other disciplines of the hospital, as well as with the Cancer Center at the Hospital Nordwest. In addition, the Department is part of the Pancreas Center. The treatment program for cancer patients is determined at regular consultations. The subsequent treatment can be provided in the oncology outpatient clinic at the Hospital zum Heiligen Geist.

In the Unit of Cardiology, including the Chest Pain Unit, the specialists under the direction of Prof. Dr. med. Rainer Duchmann deal with the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic diseases of the heart and cardiovascular system. The team of experienced doctors and nursing staff uses the very latest diagnostic and therapeutic methods, such as heart catheterization and pacemaker implantation, as well as non-invasive ultrasound examinations of the heart. 

The most common clinical pictures in cardiology that are successfully treated at The Hospital zum Heiligen Geist include:

• Myocardial infarction, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias
• Extreme hypertension (hypertensive emergency)
• Pulmonary embolism
• Severe lung diseases
• Unconsciousness

In addition, the range of medical services at the Hospital zum Heiligen Geist in Frankfurt am Main also includes the treatment of unclear chest pains in the Chest Pain Unit. In 90% of all of coronary interventions, the specialists use stents or special drug-eluting stents. The cardiac catheterization team works 24 hours a day. The stabilized patients receive further medical care in the Intensive Care Unit. Patients with cardiac arrhythmias or syncopes are offered the full range of diagnostic (tilt table tests) and therapeutic measures up to radiofrequency ablation procedure or implantation of defibrillators and other cardiac pacemakers.