Endo-Klinik Presentation

History
The Endo-Klinik in Hamburg, Germany, was founded in 1976 by Dr H.W. Buchholz.

Since the founding of the clinic, it has implemented constant computer-assisted quality control of its operation results. Its unceasing and thorough scientific evaluation of surgery results, excellent long-term outcomes of procedures and unique environment have over the years attracted surgeons from across the globe. The clinic regularly hosts guest surgeons, who come to study its methods firsthand. The resultant exchange of theoretical and practical experiences of the highest international level benefits the clinic's patients and continuously raises the clinic's level of care.

The number of exchange operations requiring implantation of a new prosthesis is constantly increasing. The Endo-Klinik has many years experience with this type of operation as well as with the difficult treatment of infected prostheses. Patients from Germany and many other countries come to the clinic for these procedures.

Department of Joint Surgery
The Endo-Klinik Department of Surgery is divided into six wards: two for the treatment of private patients; one for septic surgery. In total, the wards have 18 single patient rooms, 30 double rooms and 55 triple rooms, with a total of 243 beds.

The medical staff of the department consists of seven consultants, seven senior surgeons, 14 assistant surgeons and six trainee surgeons, who together perform some 4250 joint arthroplasty operations every year. Most of these operations are joint replacement procedures.

Since 1976 the Endo-Klinik has implanted more than 76000 prostheses - about 55000 at the hip and 20000 at the knee. The clinic also has treated shoulder, elbow and ankle problems with implantation of prostheses. In some cases, hip and knee joints have been treated simultaneously by the implantation of a total femur prosthesis.

The Endo-Klinik also performs other surgical procedures for these joints, including diagnostic arthroscopies, arthroscopic operations and cartilage transplants.

Department of Microbiology
For the purpose of identifying, treating and preventing infectious diseases, the Endo-Klinik founded the Institute for Infectious Diseases, Clinical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene within its walls.

Although it is unusual in Germany for a physician to receive advice from a clinical microbiologist at the patient's bedside, this scenario is common at the Endo-Klinik's institute. It is a tradition that allows patients suffering from infections to receive a therapy, including surgery as well as antibiotic treatment, that is individually tailored to their needs.

Infected joint prostheses are extremely difficult to treat. In the procedure developed and used by the Endo-Klinik, antibiotics are added to the bone cement. The first step is to identify the infectious bacteria. Then the bone cement is mixed with the specific antibiotic(s) that work against these bacteria. In this way the bacteria are destroyed at the location of infection, a treatment that cannot be matched by a regime of antibiotic tablets or injections.

In co-operation with the laboratory of Dr. Fenner and Partners in Hamburg, diagnoses of infections are made at the institute's laboratory for bone and joint infections. Here tests are also carried out on quality control of the autologous blood bank and the bone bank.

The institute also safeguards hospital hygiene, serving to prevent infectious diseases at the Endo-Klinik and contributing to the safety of the clinic's patients.