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First lung transplant in Benelux for critically ill COVID-19 patient

4 March 2021
A COVID-19 patient on the intensive care ward with irreparably damaged lungs was given new lungs on 1 Januari 2021 in the UZ Leuven transplant centre. It is the first time in the Benelux that someone on an intensive care COVID-19 ward gets a lung transplant.

Annual report 2020

1 March 2021
The fight against COVID-19 had an enormous impact on our operation and demanded a real tour de force from our staff. And yet it was not all about corona: 2020 also saw a lot of other realisations. With dedication, knowledge and skill we put our vision of pushing boundaries together more than ever into practice.

Perfusion a donor liver prevents biliary tract problems post-transplantation.

1 March 2021
A cold, oxygenated flush of a donor liver on a special perfusion machine prior to liver transplant, results in a lot less biliary tract problems post-transplant. These are the results from a large international trial which UZ Leuven participated in.

Better hospital hygiene in the South thanks to Flemish subsidies

26 February 2021
Good hospital hygiene is an essential element of high-quality care. Unfortunately, this is not always an easy thing to achieve for partner hospitals in the South. Thanks to subsidies from the Province of Vlaams-Brabant was able to realise a number of hospital hygiene initiatives in Rwanda.

UZ Leuven finalises pilot project on home treatment for breast cancer

22 February 2021
In December a three-year pilot project on breast cancer treatment at home or by the GP was finalised. For patients this is a lot more practical, because it involves fewer transfers to the hospital. It also changes how people experience the illness.

Number of invasive prenatal tests halved since introduction of the NIPT

19 February 2021
The wide application of the test has meant that only half as many invasive prenatal tests (amniocentesis and CVS tests) were needed and a third less babies with Down syndrome were born. These were the results of a large trial of all genetic centres in Belgium, coordinated by the centre for human genetics at UZ Leuven.

Rare diseases: big steps, but we're not there yet

17 February 2021
In Belgium 6 per cent of the population suffers from a rare disase. With the Not a Unicorn campaign, RaDiOrg, the organisation for rare diseases, wants to raise awareness for rare diseases. Professor Hilde Van Esch from the Centre for Human Genetics (CME) explains what working with rare diseases means to her.

Heart transplant with new preservation technique for first Belgian patient

17 February 2021
Last autumn UZ Leuven was the first to perform a heart transplant in Belgium with the help of a new preservation technique. Thanks to this technique a donor heart can be preserved for almost five times as long.

UZ Leuven and KU Leuven set up mobile testing teams for COVID-19 tests

4 February 2021
At the request of the Flemish Agency for Care and Health the new mobile testing team for COVID-19 testing came into action for the first time on 1 February 2021. The first request was from a primary school in Galmaarden, where 150 students needed testing.

Everything back under control at the Gasthuisberg campus after fake bomb scare

27 January 2021
On Wednesday morning between 9 and 9:30 there was an incident at UZ Leuven. The general reception hall was evacuated temporarily. In the meantime business is back to normal at the Gasthuisberg campus.

Top Employer 2021

25 January 2021
Despite the challenges we've had to meet in 2020, UZ Leuven has managed to remain a Top Employer. It is the thirteenth time that UZ Leuven was awarded this title.

Leuven study shows immune reaction in the lungs of seriously ill COVID-19 patients

21 January 2021
UZ Leuven, KU Leuven researchers and the VIB have examined the immune reaction in COVID-19 patients in the hospital. Analyses of the lung fluid showed new factors that play a role in the excessive immune reactions against the virus, which are crucial for the development of treatments.