Vithas Nuestra Señora de la Salud hospital joined his unit of Ophthalmology cornea transplantation.

-the Ministry of health and social services of the Junta de Andalucía, based on the excellent qualifications of professionals from the Centre and in the technical and technological resources available to the hospital, has granted the authorisation to the Center to expand the portfolio of services offered in the area of Ophthalmology

-in Spain were 3,000 transplants of this kind in 2011

-corneal transplant is ideally suited to returning vision to the patient that has damaged that part of the eye and eliminate pain that produce certain corneal pathologies

Granada, January 2013.- El Hospital Vithas our Lady of the health of Granadabelonging to Vithas, health cluster with 10 hospitals scattered throughout Spain, has become the first private Center of Eastern Andalusia in incorporating corneal transplant to the area of Ophthalmology of the hospital.

This type of surgical operation is only possible in authorized centers that meet strict requirements of physical and technological infrastructure, and have a team of professionals with proven experience. In this sense, the Ministry of health and social services of the Junta de Andalucía has decided to grant the corresponding authorization to the Hospital Vithas Nuestra Señora de la Salud by the excellent qualifications of the professionals who develop their functions in the area of Ophthalmology of the Center and the technical and technological resources available to the hospital.

Spain is also an example in this type of transplant

Spain is a reference worldwide in terms of number of donations and transplants per year. According to data from the Commission of transplants of the Council of Europe in 2011 – latest data available – were carried out in Spain 35.3 donations by each million inhabitants against 19 donations for each million inhabitants of the European Union Assembly. This trend is also reflected in the case of corneal transplants. In that year, in Spain, 3,000 transplants of this kind, conducted which guarantees the excellence of the Spanish model.

Dr. Inmaculada Gascón, unit of Ophthalmology, Hospital Vithas Nuestra Señora de la health..

Corneas donated altruistically for his transplant are subjected to a strict control before your implant to prevent the transmission of diseases to the recipient, as well as to ensure that their State is suitable to proceed with the transplant.

Only solution to restore vision in patients with corneal pathology

Transplantation of cornea, or keratoplasty, is especially indicated for patients with degenerations and Dystrophies, corneal, opacities congenital corneal, scars corneal produced by infectious keratitis or opacities resulting from trauma or previous eye surgeries. Thus, transplantation can meet several objectives: restore vision to the patient and eliminate the pain that they produce some of these pathologies, as well as to restore the anatomy of the eye in cases of trauma and eye holes, or you can even have a cosmetic purpose.

In the case of the cornea, to be a body without blood vessels, the rate of rejection in transplantation is one of the lowest. In addition, graft has an average 20-year survival rate of around 70%, and even reaches 90% in patients suffering from Keratoconus, a degenerative disease which produces a progressive thinning of the central area of the cornea and that usually occurs in young people.

Transplantation of cornea, in the majority of cases, is usually performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia and hospital admission is not necessary. The intervention lasts between 45 and 90 minutes. Once received the discharge, the patient can make normal life fulfilling a series of simple conditions: do not rub, hit or compress the operated eye and apply an immunosuppressive drops during the first few months after surgery. The patient, who has undergone a series of periodic reviews, often receiving final discharge one year after the intervention. Even so, the average waiting time from the inclusion of a patient in waiting until the transplant list is about six months.

Approaches of the Hospital Vithas Nuestra Señora de la Salud

The Hospital Vithas Nuestra Señora de la Salud was founded in 1923. In its origins confluence a double dream: giving Granada a center that would offer major medical specialties to Granada characterized by having the most modern methods of diagnosis and treatment. The foundational philosophy continues.

Ninety years after its creation, the Hospital Vithas our Lady of health professionals diagnose and treat more than 230,000 patients each year. In the Centre more than 8,600 annual surgical interventions are performed, serving more than 5,000 patients admitted and more than 46,000 urgencies, about 35,000 people attend the outpatient in the hospital and approximately some 45,000 diagnostic tests by image every year. Among the numerous units of medical specialization has the Hospital Vithas Nuestra Señora de la Salud are maternal and child health unit, the disorders of food, ophthalmology, renal lithotripsy and cardiology and interventionism unit.

The commitment that these 90 years has demonstrated the Hospital Vithas Nuestra Señora de la Salud with Granada and Granada remains. Vithas goes ahead with plans for construction of a new Centre in Granada that will replace the existing facilities. Initially raised project is currently in phase of re-evaluation to adapt it to the current health and economic needs.

Meanwhile, Vithas will continue to invest in technology and new medical equipments which will subsequently be moved to the new Centre. All with one goal: ensuring the quality of the service of the Hospital Vithas Nuestra Señora de la Salud.