Department of Adult and Pediatric Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care - HELIOS Clinic Krefeld

About the Department of Adult and Pediatric Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care at HELIOS Clinic Krefeld

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care at the HELIOS Clinic Krefeld offers the full spectrum of services in these medical fields. The medical team of the department takes care that patients do not experience pain during surgical interventions, and conducts a competent intensive therapy if the patient needs emergency medical care. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Elmar Berendes.

The department has a huge clinical experience in the areas of its specialization, therefore it guarantees the selection of the optimal type of anesthesia, which is based on a thorough study of the patient's medical history, examinations and general health of the patient.

The department uses all modern methods of anesthesia, such as balanced general anesthesia, all forms of regional anesthesia, for example, ultrasound-guided peripheral and spinal nerves block, etc. In addition, the department’s scope of tasks includes analgesia during interventional and diagnostic procedures (MRI, CT, angiography, endoscopy), as well as in cardiac emergency situations and in the treatment of patients with severe traumas.

In the intensive care unit, treatment is most often provided either to patients, who have undergone extensive surgical interventions, or to patients with severe injuries. The main task of the specialists is to preserve or temporarily replace the functions of vital organs, such as the lungs, heart or kidneys. To do this, the intensive care unit is equipped with the state-of-the-art medical equipment, whereas the experienced doctors have many modern methods for providing prompt and effective medical care.

It should be noted that the department offers pain therapy. There are available various methods for relieving postoperative pain. The method of pain therapy is selected for each patient individually, depending on the intensity of pain and the type of operation. In most cases, doctors use painkillers (pills) or opioid analgesics, which are injected through a vein. Alternatively, regional anesthesia or patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) may be used.

Special attention is paid to pediatric anesthesia. The department has a specially trained team of pediatric anesthesiologists, who have extensive experience in conducting anesthesia for children of all ages. Every year, the department provides its services to about 3,000 children of different age groups. The department has a separate children's operating room equipped with special respiratory masks for children, mini-cannulas and breathing tubes for children.

The range of medical services of the department includes:

Adult anesthesiology

• Balanced anesthesia
• Combined anesthesia
• Peripheral regional anesthesia
• Anesthesia during childbirth
• Thoracic epidural anesthesia
• Spinal anesthesia
• One-lung ventilation for interventions on the thoracic organs
• Jet ventilation during operations on the larynx or trachea
• And other methods of anesthesia

Pediatric anesthesiology

• Anesthesia for children with blood clotting disorders
• Anesthesia for children with disabilities
• Anesthesia for premature babies and newborns
• Total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA)
• Balanced anesthesia
• Analgosedation for diagnostic examinations
• Orotracheal and nasotracheal intubation
• Masque anesthesia
• Treatment of postoperative nausea
• Treatment of airway obstruction
• Ultrasound-guided blood vessel puncture 
• Measures to maintain normal body temperature during anesthesia
• Regional anesthesia
  • Caudal (sacral) anesthesia
  • Epidural anesthesia (lumbar and thoracic sections) with catheter
  • Block of the peripheral nerves, upper and lower extremities (ultrasound-guided)
• And other methods of anesthesia

Intensive care

• Advanced hemodynamic monitoring
• Differential therapy with catecholamines
• Ultrasound diagnostics (FAST & FEEL, transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, thoracic and abdominal ultrasonography)
• Differential invasive lung ventilation
• High-frequency oscillatory ventilation
• Percutaneous dilational tracheostomy
• Renal replacement therapy (continuous veno-venous hemofiltration, hemodialysis and citrate dialysis)
• Kinetic therapy
• Differentiated neuromonitoring (invasive measurement of intracranial pressure, measurement of cerebral perfusion pressure, continuous EEG monitoring)
• Neurophysiological examinations (EEG, SSEP, AEP)
• All methods of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and support of myocardium activity
• Pacemaker therapy
• Video bronchoscopy
• Care for patients with severe injuries and multiple injuries
• And other services