Set-up cuts waiting lines
Surgery boost for hospital
A ONE-stop shop for vascular surgery is expected to open at Cairns Hospital next year to help reduce the waiting list for patients.
Health Minister Steven Miles has announced a $3.68 million hybrid operating theatre for the hospital, a first for the facility that will combine a vascular and cardiac imaging laboratory in the same space.
Clinicians have been lobbying the State Government for a hybrid theatre since the halfbillion dollar redevelopment of the hospital was launched more than a decade ago.
Cairns Hospital vascular surgeon Dr Sherab Bhutia said they were very excited to finally have the theatre.
“This will widen the amount of procedures that we can do,” he said.
“We can do more complex and high-end procedures.
“It will allow us to use a combination of open surgical skills and keyhole surgical skills in the same theatre.
“Instead of having one procedure done in a theatre, and another in a cardiac catheter lab, we can have it all done in the one place.”
During 2016-17, there were 531 vascular (veins and arteries) procedures performed in theatre and another 264 procedures carried out in medical imaging and the cath lab.
This fiscal period, there has been an overall 15 per cent increase in these procedures at the hospital.
Mr Miles said the hybrid theatre, which would be built within the operating theatre complex in Block D of the hospital by 2019, would give doctors and nurses equipment they needed to manage situations safely.
“We are combining the expertise of our Cairns Hospital staff with cutting edge vascular surgery technology to deliver the best possible care locally,” he said.
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