Mulago National Referral Hospital has carried out it’s first spine surgery using laser technology which it says is cost-saving and comes with less complications.
The operation was done on a male patient. Initially, the hospital was doing open surgery due to lack of access to laser machines. Fortunately, Biolitec, one of the world´s leading medical technology companies in the field of minimally invasive laser applications partnered with healthcare providers in Uganda and for a week provided demo laser surgeries to enhance patient experience and introduce new treatment options for different conditions.
Laser surgery is a new procedure where the surgeon uses laser technology to vapourise tissue during the surgery, instead of the traditional scalpel.
Ugandan hospitals will now be able to offer option of Medical Diode Lasers and Fiber optics technology for Spine, Urology and Gynae surgeries for conditions like varicose veins, hemorrhoids, anal fistulas, fissures, pilonidal sinus, sciatica, PBH (enlarged prostate), Endometriosis among others.
The expert team has Dr. Orwotho Norbart, an Orthopedic Consultant, and Dr. Nyombi Orthopedic Surgeon at Mulago Hospital led the laser spine surgery (PLDD) Percutaneous Laser Disc Decompression while Dr. Mbiine Ronald and Dr. Elobu Alex both GIT Surgeons at Mulago Hospital were part of LHP Laser Hemorrhoidoplasty surgeries.
The entry point, surgeons say can be as small as the hole in a syringe, so there is little to no bleeding involved in this kind of surgery.
There is no pain and therefore no need for general anesthesia so the patient can be conscious during the entire procedure.
The surgery time can be as short as 20 minutes depending on the procedure and leaves no scar whatsoever.
The patient is able to walk home after the procedure, ” he said.
Such surgeries have since been carried out at Mulago Hospital, IHK, Ruby Medical Center, Nsambya, Rubaga Hospital and Nakasero Hospital.
The vascular and proctology surgeries have maintained a 98% success rate. Vascular surgery (Endovenous Laser Ablation) is for incompetent veins now this can be done in 20 minutes.
Proctology surgery is for disorders of the rectum, anus, and colon which are also corrected with laser in a painless 20-minute procedure that leaves no scars.
With this new service, he said the technology hopes to change how people regard surgery by making it quick and painless, without all the associated complications of recovery after being opened up, like infections.
As more and more procedures adopt this technology, long admission periods of recovery in the hospital after surgery and long after surgery care periods for family members will become a thing of the past.
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