Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine - Hospital Oberberg Gummersbach

About the Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at Hospital Oberberg Gummersbach

The Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at the Hospital Oberberg Gummersbach offers the full range of diagnostic and therapeutic services for young patients. The specialists at the medical facility treat gastrointestinal infections, bronchial asthma, pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, diseases of the central nervous system, allergic diseases, thyroid pathologies, and heart disease. The department has an intensive care unit for newborns, including premature babies. The department has 35 beds. Many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are performed on an outpatient basis. The health of young patients is in the safe hands of an experienced team of pediatricians who ensure that each child receives effective and, if possible, painless treatment. The comfort of the children is important to the specialists, so the department offers the opportunity for one of the parents to stay in the clinic with their child. The department also has a wonderful play area where a child can forget about the illness, meet peers, and watch exciting shows with the participation of animators. The department is headed by Dr. med. Roland Adelmann.

The department regularly treats young patients with various diseases, including bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchial asthma, appendicitis, tonsillitis, polyps, bone fractures, and other pathologies. As a rule, young children are accommodated in a patient room with one of their parents. Infectious diseases require partial isolation. Medical care is provided in accordance with current clinical protocols and the recommendations of professional societies.

The department has a neonatal intensive care unit, which is located in close proximity to the delivery rooms. This allows for quick emergency care in critical cases. There are 15 beds and a mother-and-child ward available here. The specialists from the neonatal intensive care unit perform a variety of tests for newborns, including screening for congenital heart defects, ultrasound scans to rule out hip dysplasia and kidney abnormalities, hearing screening, advanced biochemical tests to rule out metabolic disorders, etc. About 350 premature and newborn babies with congenital pathologies are treated in the intensive care unit every year. The specialists work closely with Level I Perinatal Centers in the cities of Leverkusen, Cologne, Bonn, and Siegen. Special attention is paid to the care of premature babies born before the 32nd week of pregnancy.

A major clinical focus of the department is pediatric cardiology. The medical facility performs all the necessary diagnostic tests to identify congenital heart defects, including ECG, echocardiography, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, and others. An outpatient appointment without a hospital stay is usually sufficient for diagnostics. If a child is diagnosed with problems such as heart palpitations after sports workouts or high blood pressure, specialists offer additional procedures, such as long-term ECG monitoring and 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, to further assess the child's heart function.

The range of medical services provided by the department is complemented by medical care for young patients with acute and chronic neurological disorders. The department treats children aged 0 to 18 years. The department's specialists most commonly provide medical care for pathologies such as chronic headaches, epilepsy, movement disorders and paralysis, neuromuscular diseases, and mental development disorders. In most cases, children are diagnosed and treated on an outpatient basis. The treatment of neurological disorders in children involves the prescription of individually developed drug treatment regimens, physiotherapeutic treatment programs, including Vojta therapy and Bobath therapy, therapeutic exercises, massage, and other methods.

The specialty of the department's team of pediatric endocrinologists is providing medical care for young patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Unfortunately, this endocrine disorder remains incurable, but the department's specialists have the professional skills and resources to compensate for diabetes mellitus. After confirming the diagnosis, the department's doctors recommend undergoing an initial course of treatment in an inpatient setting. A young patient is individually prescribed insulin therapy (the department has accumulated extensive experience in the field of pump insulin therapy) and/or taking glucose-lowering medications to normalize glucose levels. During consultations with the attending physician, the child and his or her parents receive detailed recommendations on proper nutrition for diabetes mellitus, daily routine, physical activity, and other important issues. Qualified psychologists also work with children and their parents.

The department's range of medical services includes the following:

• Diagnostics and treatment of general diseases in children and adolescents: bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchial asthma, fractures, and appendicitis
• Diagnostics and treatment of endocrine disorders with a special focus on diabetes mellitus types I and II, growth disorders, and thyroid diseases
• Diagnostics and treatment of heart disease with a special focus on congenital and acquired heart defects
• Diagnostics and treatment of diseases of the nervous system: chronic headaches, epilepsy, paralysis, movement disorders, and neuromuscular diseases
• Diagnostics and treatment of acute and chronic respiratory diseases: bronchial asthma and severe and chronic lung infections
• Diagnostics and treatment of allergic diseases: allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, atopic dermatitis, urticaria, and food allergies
• Medical care for premature and newborn babies in a specialized intensive care unit
• Other medical services