Donor support of surgical innovation = less pain, fewer complications & shorter hospital stays!
PRHC Foundation donors recently invested $1 million in surgical innovation, equipping 9 of PRHC’s 12 operating rooms with state-of-the-art, minimally invasive surgical tools. Read on to find out how this investment is transforming the way surgery is perfo
Surgical care has been an essential part of the healthcare landscape for over a century. More than 22,000 surgical procedures were performed at PRHC last year. It saves lives, prevents disability and further illness, and puts people on the road to recovery and better health. However, it’s not without its drawbacks. For years, surgery has often required a large incision, a long hospital stay, and an even longer convalescence. There are also inherent risks involved. Surgery might improve or even save your life, but it could take up to six weeks before you’ve completely recovered. Today, however, advances in minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques and technology are changing the standard of care for many common surgical procedures. Instead of foot-long belly-to-pelvis incisions, minimally invasive surgeons make substantially smaller cuts and use scopes, cameras and specialized instruments to perform the procedure inside the patient’s body. As a result, the patient experiences less pain, shorter hospital stays, quicker recoveries, less risk of post-surgery complications such as wound infection, and overall better outcomes. Last year, donor support helped us outfit 9 of PRHC’s 12 operating rooms with new high-definition (HD) scopes, lenses, lights and cameras that allow surgeons to see with incredible clarity inside the body. It also funded new highdefinition monitors and replaced existing but outdated MIS surgical tools with standardized, state-ofthe-art instrument sets. This investment is enabling surgeons to increase the total percentage of surgeries performed at PRHC using minimally invasive techniques from 40 percent of procedures, towards the hospital’s goal of 80 percent. It’s also empowering PRHC’s surgeons to treat more kinds and more difficult forms of cancer, including stomach, GI, uterine, adrenal, spleen, kidney, ovarian and urinary cancers, perform emergency appendectomies, and treat emergent ulcers, hernias and bowel blockages using MIS techniques. It’s also helping PRHC attract new surgeons who wish to practice their skills in a state-ofthe-art facility. Surgeon Dr. Lynn Mikula, Chair of PRHC’s Medical Advisory Committee, says PRHC’s surgeons have the talent and training, and they’re passionate about treating significantly more patients with minimally invasive surgical techniques. “Our hospital had the will and the facilities but we needed the help of donors to purchase the equipment and technology that empowered us to realize our vision,” says Mikula. “Thank you.”