Schwarzach hospital makes internal injuries a priority

Schwarzach Hospital is making the treatment of internal injuries a key focus, ORF reports, as organ damage in traffic and sports accidents can be life-threatening and requires experienced surgeons.

Reiko Wießner, head of general surgery, said the hospital treats about 30 to 40 ruptured spleens each year, including cases during the winter season and summer downhill biking season. About a quarter require surgery. Liver injuries are less common but more serious: the hospital treated nearly 50 over the past five years.

The hospital performs about 3,000 operations a year in addition to emergency procedures, ranging from appendectomies to tumour surgery. Wießner said that experience is important in emergencies, so paramedics know where to take patients with severe internal injuries.

The hospital serves a catchment population of about 200,000 people, as well as many tourists. A recent case involved an 80-year-old pilot who underwent surgery there for injuries to his stomach, intestines and diaphragm after a collision during take-off in Krimml.