Valdoltra Orthopaedic Hospital

In 1999 the Orthopaedic hospital at Valdoltra celebrated its 90th anniversary. It is the oldest specialist hospital in Slovenia, with a rich tradition and interesting history. During the last decade the hospital has invested a great deal of effort in development and modernization. Today our hospital is the largest institution of its kind in Slovenia, comprising more than 50% of Slovene orthopaedic activities with 25,000 orthopaedic examinations, 55,000 hospital days, 5,500 patients in hospital care and 2,600 surgeries. We collaborate with all Slovene orthopaedic institutions and numerous others in Europe and North America and are frequently involved in common projects aimed at developing new surgical and therapeutic methods. Modern operating rooms, sophisticated technological equipment including magnetic resonance, computer tomography, modern radiological equipment, laser knife, endoscopic technology, information technology and highly qualified medical staff enable state-of-the-art treatment for patients. The renovated hospital buildings contribute to the high standard of patient care, which includes a specialist patient care, postoperative treatment with rehabilitation and physiotherapy, planned nutrition and personal staff-patient relationships. The hospital has been a public institution since 1991. Its activity is focussed on the secondary and tertiary levels, including diseases and injuries of the locomotive system, with special emphasis on arthroplasty, diseases and deformation of the spine, endoscopic treatment, sport traumatology, bone-joint tuberculosis and orthopaedic sepsis. The Ministry of Health has designated the hospital as an Educational Institution and, in 2001, we started to develop a research group as a separate organizational unit within the hospital. Our goal is to carry out research, establish postgraduate studies, and collaborate with other research organizations. Members of the group have already published more than 70 scientific and expert papers. The hospital has a characteristic pavilion structure which originates from the traditional building dating from the beginning of the last century. There are three separate pavilions (A, B and C), each with its own head, and each divided into several orthopaedic departments. Pavilions A and B have three departments, and pavilion C has two. Pavilion A includes the intensive care unit. The hospital has 295 employees, of whom 47 have university degree and 33 are medical doctors. There are 8 graduate nurses, 27 senior nurses, 9 radiological engineers, 13 graduate physiotherapists and 106 medical technicians. Two employees have a PhD degree and six have an MSc degree. The hospital is headed by Venčeslav Pišot, MSc, MD, orthopaedic surgeon