Basic informations
About Our Department
The 5th Department of Internal Medicine is the biggest department for internal medicine in University Hospital Bratislava. The department provides complete care of patients with internal diseases - special diagnostic and treatment cases up to management of polymorbid patients and emergent cases within intensive care, complete diagnostics, invasive and non-invasive treatment of GIT and liver diseases, complete care of patients with diabetes mellitus including gestation and specific complications, diagnostics and treatment of kidney diseases, intensive care of patients with homeostasis disorders, applying eliminative methods, treatment of patients with lipid metabolism disorders and nutritional disorders, diagnostics and treatment of vessel diseases, care of patients with cardiac problems, diagnostics and treatment of rheumatic diseases.
The inpatient department offers 86 beds and focuses on acute medicine for patient with various disorders - mainly cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases, but also a large number of patients with endocrine, reumatological, nephrological, hematological disorders. Yearly we have more than 3500 hospitalized patients. For serious ill patient we have an intensive care unit (ICU) with 8 beds (5 on coronary ICU and 3 on metabolic ICU). They are part of our Center for cardiostimulation, Diabetology centre and IBD centre.
The outpatient department of the clinic provides healthcare in 17 specialist consultation offices (in endocrinology, diabetology, gastroenterology, hepatology, nefrology, rheumatology, osteology, immunology).
A part of the department is also the biggest gastroenterology and hepatology unit. This unit is responsible for endoscopy examination, urgent endoscopy, ERCP, enteroscopy, pH metry and confocal laser endomicroscopy. A part is also and IBD center for patient with M. Crohn and Ulcerative colitis.
Teaching activities
The primary aim is to teach medical students clinical examination (internal propedeutic) and internal medicine during the undergraduate study. We provide lectures and practicals for the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th class of general medicine. Prof. Juraj Payer is the coordinator for teaching internal medicine in Comenius University Faculty of Medicine for the whole study program general medicine. The student will become familiar with subjects, which are concerned with the recognition of causes and progression of illnesses, with their prevention, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation. The student will be capable after graduating of independent, expert specialization and holistic intuitive observation of the human being and the problematic associated with the processes of health and illness.
Nevertheless we provide the highest level of university education - the PhD study. The duration of the scientific training is generally 5 years according to the study program and form. The goal of the PhD study is to acquire abilities to use scientific approaches individually and to solve creatively complex scientific problems within the study specialization. During the time of the study, the Ph.D. students are expected to attain credit points from compulsory and elective courses given either in Slovak or in English.
We are also coordinators for the postgraduate specialization study in endocrinology, in gastroenterology. And also we responsible together with other departments of internal medicine for the postgraduate specialization study in internal medicine.
Scientific and research activities
Nevertheless, the important role of 5th Department of Internal Medicine is also a scientific work of our teachers and doctors. Pre-gradual as well as PhD students are being enrolled and educated in our research projects. The results of these projects are published in CC journals and presented at scientific congresses. Medical research consists of a participation in clinical trials, including multi-centre and international trials.
Scientific and research activities are focused on these field of medicine:
- endocrinology and diabetology
- rheumatology and osteology
- gastroenterology (inflammatory bowel disease)
- cardiology
We are investigators in various scientific grants received from the Slovak agency for research and science support and Slovak Ministry of Health and Slovak Ministry of Education, also grants received from European Union associated agencies and International societies (epidemiology and risk factors of osteoporosis and obesity, screening of colorectal cancer in IBD).
We cooperate with national specialist institutes (National Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases, National Institute for Endocrinology and Diabetology, National Institute for Rheumatology, Slovak Academy of Science, Institute for experimental endocrinology) and with a large number of other European universities (Mainz, Prague, Leuven).