About the Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Pulmonology, Allergology and Gastroenterology at University Hospital Halle (Saale)
The Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Pulmonology, Allergology and Gastroenterology at the University Hospital Halle (Saale) offers a full range of medical services in its areas of specialization. The department provides medical care for newborns, young children, and adolescents with diseases of the cardiovascular system, lungs and airways, allergic diseases, and gastrointestinal pathologies. The medical facility has an advanced diagnostic base for comprehensive examinations. The department's specialists have exceptional experience and knowledge necessary for comprehensive and effective treatment of young patients. Children can receive both inpatient and outpatient medical care in the department. During the therapeutic process, reliable methods with proven effectiveness are used. If clinically indicated, endoscopic examinations and treatment procedures can be performed. Before starting the treatment, the doctors conduct an individual consultation with the child and the parents, during which they explain in detail the features of the course of therapy and the expected results. The department's medical team works in strict accordance with current clinical protocols and the recommendations of the German Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ). The Head Physician of the department is Prof. Dr. med. Roland Haase.
Cardiology deals with the diagnosis and treatment of congenital and acquired, acute and chronic diseases of the heart and blood vessels in newborns, children, and adolescents. The department's physicians work closely with specialists in internal medicine, radiology, genetics, cardiac surgery, etc. Adults with congenital heart defects are treated in a specialized center that is part of the department. The physicians in the department often see young patients with atrial septal defects, atrioventricular canal defects, patent foramen ovale, coarctation of the aorta, congenital mitral valve defects, Ebstein's anomaly, Kawasaki disease, tetralogy of Fallot, and transposition of the great vessels. When a heart defect is suspected, laboratory tests, chest X-ray, electrocardiography, echocardiography, and cardiac catheterization are performed. As for the treatment, drug therapy is used whenever possible, which may include the use of ACE inhibitors, diuretics, beta blockers, and other medications. The second-line treatment includes catheter-based interventional procedures, while in complex clinical situations surgical intervention is recommended.
The team of pediatric pulmonologists treats infants, children, and adolescents with congenital and acquired, acute and chronic diseases of the airways and lungs. To assess the anatomical structure and function of the respiratory system, the department performs spirometry, body plethysmography, rigid and flexible bronchoscopy, and other examinations. Special attention is paid to early diagnosis and treatment of cystic fibrosis. This disease is very common. Although it is caused by a defect in a single gene, the clinical manifestations are quite diverse, causing damage to the airways, lungs, and digestive tract. Cystic fibrosis is incurable, so therapeutic efforts are aimed at improving the child's quality of life. The specialized Center for Cystic Fibrosis, which is part of the department, currently cares for about 50 children and 50 adults with this pathology.
An important clinical focus of the department is pediatric allergology. The medical facility diagnoses and treats various allergic diseases, such as allergic bronchial asthma, food allergies, drug allergies, allergic rhinitis, etc. Various effective methods are used to treat allergic reactions in children, including inhalations and allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT).
The department's therapeutic offer is complemented by a wide range of services in pediatric gastroenterology. The team of doctors in this field specializes in providing medical care to young patients with celiac disease, gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, chronic constipation, chronic inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, and liver pathologies. The department's pediatric gastroenterologists successfully perform endoscopic examinations and therapeutic procedures, the most popular of which are gastroscopy, colonoscopy, polypectomy, bougienage, and endoscopic removal of foreign bodies from the digestive organs.
The department's key clinical activities include the following:
- Cardiology
- Diagnostics and treatment of congenital and acquired heart defects
- Diagnostics and treatment of atrial septal defect
- Diagnostics and treatment of atrioventricular canal defect
- Diagnostics and treatment of patent foramen ovale
- Diagnostics and treatment of coarctation of the aorta
- Diagnostics and treatment of congenital mitral valve defects
- Diagnostics and treatment of Ebstein's anomaly
- Diagnostics and treatment of Kawasaki disease
- Diagnostics and treatment of tetralogy of Fallot
- Diagnostics and treatment of transposition of the great vessels
- Diagnostics and treatment of congenital and acquired heart defects
- Pulmonology
- Diagnostics and treatment of lung and airway diseases
- Diagnostics and treatment of bronchial asthma
- Diagnostics and treatment of bronchopulmonary dysplasia
- Diagnostics and treatment of cystic fibrosis
- Diagnostics and treatment of primary ciliary dyskinesia
- Diagnostics and treatment of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
- Diagnostics and treatment of laryngomalacia
- Diagnostics and treatment of tracheomalacia
- Diagnostics and treatment of recurrent bronchitis
- Diagnostics and treatment of recurrent pneumonia
- Diagnostics and treatment of tuberculosis
- Diagnostics and treatment of exogenous allergic alveolitis
- Diagnostics and treatment of lung and airway diseases
- Allergology
- Diagnostics and treatment of allergic diseases
- Diagnostics and treatment of allergic bronchial asthma
- Diagnostics and treatment of allergic rhinitis
- Diagnostics and treatment of oral allergy syndrome
- Diagnostics and treatment of atopic dermatitis
- Diagnostics and treatment of insect venom allergy
- Diagnostics and treatment of food allergies
- Diagnostics and treatment of drug allergies
- Diagnostics and treatment of urticaria
- Diagnostics and treatment of allergic diseases
- Gastroenterology
- Diagnostics and treatment of gastrointestinal and liver diseases
- Diagnostics and treatment of chronic abdominal pain
- Diagnostics and treatment of chronic constipation
- Diagnostics and treatment of celiac disease
- Diagnostics and treatment of gastritis
- Diagnostics and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease
- Diagnostics and treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis
- Diagnostics and treatment of carbohydrate malabsorption
- Diagnostics and treatment of chronic inflammatory bowel disease
- Diagnostics and treatment of short bowel syndrome
- Diagnostics and treatment of pancreatitis
- Diagnostics and treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
- Diagnostics and treatment of liver diseases: hepatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, Wilson's disease, and chronic liver failure
- Diagnostics and treatment of gastrointestinal and liver diseases
- Other medical services
The range of therapeutic services provided by the department includes the following:
- Drug therapy
- Allergen-specific immunotherapy
- Inhalation therapy
- Catheter-based interventional procedures on the heart
- Endoscopic procedures for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases
- Gastroscopy
- Colonoscopy
- Polypectomy
- Bougienage
- Removal of foreign bodies from the gastrointestinal tract
- Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy
- Endoscopic procedures for the treatment of respiratory diseases
- Flexible and rigid bronchoscopy (on an inpatient basis)
- Other therapeutic options
Curriculum vitae
Prof. Dr. med. Roland Haase has been the Head Physician of the Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Pulmonology, Allergology and Gastroenterology at the University Hospital Halle (Saale) since 1 April 2023 and is also W3 Professor for Pediatrics with a focus on Cardiology and Intensive Care at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.
Prof. Haase studied medicine at the Free University of Berlin and the Charité and received his doctorate in 2000. In 2014, he defended his PhD thesis on the importance of pediatric intensive care in the treatment of children with cancer and received his Venia legendi in Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. Since 2019, he has been working as the Head Physician of the Department of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care at the St. Elisabeth Hospital Halle and the St. Barbara Hospital Halle.
Photo of the doctor: (c) Universitätsklinikum Halle (Saale)