Helsinki University Hospital

Healthcare provider: The Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) Group comprises the Joint Authority of the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District, subsidiaries and associated enterprises. The Joint Authority is made up of five hospital areas of which the Helsinki University Hospital (HUH) is the biggest. HUS hospitals employ over 22,000 professionals.  The biggest personnel group, nursing staff, accounts for 56% of all employees, while about 13% of personnel are physicians. 

Helsinki University Hospital consists of 17 hospitals situated in Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa. They serve the population of the whole hospital area. In addition, HUH is responsible for providing care for demanding and rare diseases for its own area and also to the patients from all over Finland. Helsinki University Hospital Heart and Lung Center offers specialist medical care in the fields of cardiology, cardiac surgery, pulmonary diseases and general thoracic and oesophageal surgery.  

The HUH Children and Adolescents department bears a statutory national responsibility for examination and treatment of severe cardiac problems in children and organ transplantation. The department also includes the Rare Diseases Centre.

Centre for rare and complex heart diseases: The Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS), with Helsinki University Hospital (HUH) and affiliated surrounding hospitals, has > 22300 employees. Cardiology patients are referred to pediatric and adult cardiology clinics from multiple other healthcare providers, paediatric patients to HUH Children’s Hospital, and adult patients to HUH Heart and Lung Center. Both adult and paediatric multidisciplinary teams consist of cardiologists, surgeons, geneticists, transplant specialists, social workers, dietitians and physical therapists etc

Cardiac imaging: We perform 2D and 3D TTE and TEE examinations. Other cardiac imaging modalities are cardiac MRI and cardiac CT, radionuclide examinations and PET. We have fully equipped catheterization laboratories for diagnostic and interventional procedures in both pediatric and adult cardiology units.  Specialized electrophysiology units in Children’s Hospital and in Heart and Lung Center offer the full compliment of diagnostic and therapeutic options to evaluate and manage any arrhythmias.

Cardiosurgical operating rooms are equipped for heart surgery with a heart-and-lung machines etc. Pediatric and adult intensive care units are  ‘heavy-duty’  intensive care units, in which heart surgery patients and patients with heart failure share a significant role. All pediatric cardiac surgery, interventional cardiology and both pediatric and adult heart transplantations in Finland are centralized to our hospital.

Dr. Janaa Pihkala is a paediatric cardiologist and the representative member of the Helsinki University Hospital in ERN GUARD-HEART.