Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department - Clinical Emergency Hospital St. "Apostle Andrew"

Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department of Clinical Emergency Hospital “St. Apostle Andrew” from Constanta, part of I^st Internal Medical Clinic, joins together facilities and skilled physicians dedicated for serving patients suffering of gastrointestinal and liver diseases.

The medical team is composed of Gastroenterology physicians affiliated to Faculty of Medicine, “Ovidius” University of Constanta. Two Gastroenterology Professors, one Associate Professor and two Senior Lecturers, share their knowledge in the field of Gastroenterology and Hepatology for medical and academic teaching activities. Over twenty Fellows in Training are doing their Gastroenterology specialty in our Department. Every year, hundreds of students from the Faculty of Medicine learn Gastroenterology and Hepatology and get contact with patients within our Department. Lectures in Romanian or English language for international students, workshops, symposiums, and other academic activities are organized for the benefit of our students and also, for the benefit of our patients. Liver, biliary, pancreatic, or digestive tract diseases are challenging our physicians in terms of diagnosis, cure procedures, or appliance of sophisticated, new medical treatments.

Activity in the field of Hepatology represents the main concern for our physicians. Chronic viral hepatitis related to B, C and D infections, liver cirrhosis and its complications, and metabolic liver diseases are usually diagnosed, monitored, and treated by our physicians team. Liver biopsies and FIBROSCAN investigations are performed by our physicians to obtain accurate diagnostics. Treatments with the newest combinations between different types of DAAs and NUCs are initiated and monitored in case of patients with chronic viral liver infections. Positive and differential diagnosis of liver tumors is provided by our skilled ecographists, which are specialized in CEUS technics, elastography, or perform guided liver biopsies. Treatments as percutaneous procedures or TACE in collaboration with radiologists are done for cure or as palliative procedures for different kind of malignant liver tumors. National and international clinical studies and trials related to new technologies or innovative medical formulas represent a priority for our physicians preoccupied to offer access for our patients suffering from liver diseases to most efficient therapies.

In terms of facilities, Gastroenterology Department disposes of 20 beds for admission of patients referred to Gastroenterology and Hepatology specialists and many labs designated for diagnostic procedures, as endoscopy or echography.

Three Endoscopy labs with seven Gastroenterology physicians and nine nurses specialized for diagnostic or interventional endoscopy procedures are at disposal for patients from Constanta County. One lab is designated for combined endoscopic and radiological procedures as ERCP, where stenting procedures or extractions of bile ducts stones are usually done. As well, other endoscopic interventional procedures for digestive emergencies, as upper and lower digestive hemorrhages or palliative temporary or definitive procedures, as gastrostomies, made to relief of suffering and improve quality of life for patients with oncologic or other invalidate digestive pathologies are available in all three labs. Fifteen new endoscopes, colonoscopes and duodenoscopes and one C- arm device were recently introduced for use in our labs. Many endoscopic procedures as band ligation or sclerotherapy for esophageal or gastric varices in patients with liver cirrhosis, hemostasis with metallic clips, vasoconstrictor drugs injections or other endoscopic procedures in case of bleeding pathologies, maneuvers designated to dilate strictures of upper or lower digestive tract, and polypectomies with variable degree of difficulty are usually performed during the current activity in these labs.

Three Echography labs are at ultrasound investigation disposal. Devices used during clinical practice are equipped with the latest technologies available for modern ultrasonographic investigation. Elastography, one of the newest procedures used in the field of Hepatology, but also other areas of interest, is part of our physician’s current activity.

Our center is interested in developing by diversifying the medical services, increasing the number of employees and collaborators, permanently updating the medical equipment and it is open to research collaborations with other centers that have the same interest.