The Hereditary Angioedema Unit (UAEH) of Vall d’Hebron University Hospital’s Allergology Department has been treating patients with this disorder for more than 25 years.

UAEH outpatients are treated by allergology specialists in a multidisciplinary manner in the Outpatient Clinic in the Old Nursing School and in the Children’s and Women’s Hospital, ensuring transference and continuity of care from childhood through to adulthood for this genetic, lifelong condition.

The Unit is made up of popular, immunologists, geneticists, gynaecologists, maxillofacial surgeons, pharmacists and nurses, who are responsible for:

• diagnosing and monitoring patients
• conducting immunological and genetic studies
• providing health education to ensure that patients are capable of recognising angioedema episodes and self-administering their treatment
• treating patients in special situations such as pregnancy, delivery, the postpartum period and during complex dental procedures.

Depending on the type of care to be given to patients with diagnosed hereditary angioedema and their profile, they should be treated by the following divisions and/or units:

Allergology Outpatient Clinic and Day Hospital

The specialists who work in the adult and paediatric allergology sections are responsible for treating patients aged 16 and under in the Children’s Hospital areas and subsequently facilitating their transfer and continuity of care with monitoring to the adult care departments in the Old Nursing School and the Allergology Day Hospital in the General Hospital.

The Hereditary Angioedema Unit (UAEH) offers an outpatient service to monitor patients with this disease: the Outpatient Clinic on the second floor of the Old Nursing School. Also, as it is a multidisciplinary unit, and depending on the type of patient (child, adult, pregnant woman), it provides care in a number of departments and units in the Children’s and Women’s Hospital, the General Hospital and A&E.

The nursing team specialises in education and specific care for patients with this disease.

A&E Care

Emergency care is provided at the Children’s Hospital for patients up to the age of 16 and at the General Hospital from the age of 17. The professionals who work in the A&Es have been trained to recognise the symptoms of this disease and to quickly provide its specific treatment.

Maxillofacial Surgery Outpatient Clinic

When a patient needs a complex dental or maxillofacial procedure they will be assessed by the hospital’s maxillofacial surgeons and their operation will be organised with the suitable prophylaxis.

Patients who have hereditary angioedema and who are pregnant

The Obstetrics, Foetal Medicine and Anaesthesia Departments have created a Working Unit for High-Risk Pregnancies for women with hereditary angioedema with the aim of monitoring the well-being of mother and child during pregnancy and of providing care during the delivery and postpartum period in accordance with a protocol specific to their type of hereditary angioedema and clinical situation. Care is also provided for high-risk postpartum cases.

In parallel to these services, there is also a reproductive counselling clinic for women with hereditary angioedema. The clinic is part of the Hereditary Angioedema Unit, and is that provided in conjunction with Gynaecology in the Outpatient Clinics of the Children’s and Women’s Hospital.

In this clinic an allergist and a gynaecologist combine their expertise to determine, in accordance with the patient’s clinical situation and type of hereditary angioedema, the possible effects of their having children. Their mission is to provide information and advice in relation to family planning and the reproductive possibilities of the patients living with this disease.

The care provided at the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department at the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital covers the following areas: outpatient visits, surgery, hospitalisation and accident and emergency services. Our Department is the only one in Catalonia with a 24-hour on-call system. This means we are a leading player in the Catalan public network.

We are also pioneers in innovation: in 2014, the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department became the first in Catalonia to use computer-assisted surgery in its operations. This paradigm shift in surgical practice is based on collaboration between medical professionals from the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Radiology and Anatomy Departments.

Computer-assisted surgery, which incorporates an intra-operative browser similar to a GPS device, offers a three-dimensional, real-time vision of the position of the instruments. This guarantees greater reliability and accuracy.

Furthermore, improvements in scanning and 3D imaging mean we can perform virtual simulations of any surgery thanks to what is known as "pre-operative virtual planning", as well as the aesthetic result of the operation, with Morphing 3D.

Since 2016, we have been pioneers in incorporating a technology platform to allow collaboration between medical professionals and engineers and technicians designing prostheses. This new tool improves patient recovery and allows surgeons to prepare for operations. It also creates a point of contact from the very outset with the engineers and technicians who work on personalised prostheses for each patient. A model of networking between several Hospital departments.

Portfolio of services 

We offer highly specialised care through multidisciplinary units for the treatment of complex pathologies, such as maxillofacial oncology and microsurgical reconstruction of the base of the skull and salivary glands.

We are a group of highly qualified professionals in a cohesive, motivated team that handles the complex pathologies handled only by tertiary centres. These professionals are further renowned for their activity and participation in scientific societies.

Research

All this guarantees more precise surgery that takes fewer hours and entails less risk for the patient. The next step is to design new biocompatible tissue, a line of research that the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) is already working hard to advance. The New Technologies and Craniofacial Microsurgery group of the Centre for Research in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology for Nanomedicine (CIBBIM) will study the application of new biomaterials in facial reconstructive surgery, cellular therapies with stem cells in the field of biomaterials, oncology and the use of new devices and biomarkers for early diagnosis in oral cancer.

Teaching

Our Department is also involved in teaching at all levels: undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education, as well as research activity. These areas are a fundamental part of our activity.