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New equipment a boon for kids’ surgery
Wellington Hospital has a new High-Definition TV service – especially for kids – and it’s one you won’t find on Sky, or Saturn or Freeview. And while the hospital’s new HDTV screen may not be as big as the ones you’ll find in Harvey Norman – it offers one feature that sets it apart – the potential to help save lives.
The hospital has been gifted with a brand new laparoscope – the equipment used to perform laparoscopic surgery.
Often called “keyhole surgery” or “minimally-invasive surgery” – laparoscopic surgery allows surgery to be performed through small incisions (generally only 3mm - 5mm long) – without the need for the large incisions required to perform traditional surgery.
The surgeon uses a laparoscope (a thin tube which functions as a TV camera) and other instruments on the ends of tubes which grasp, cut, stitch or cauterise tissues inside the patient’s body.
While laparoscopic surgery is not new to Wellington Hospital, the new equipment is the first to allow surgeons a view inside the body in High-Definition, which enables them to see a much clearer picture of what they are doing. The new gear is also specially tailored for operating on children, with smaller attachments which better suit the greater delicacy required when operating on smaller people.
Kaye Hudson, Operations Manager for Child Health Services, says the new equipment is “hands down” the best laparoscopic equipment in the hospital – offering a sharper and more detailed picture and a near instantaneous view of movements inside the body.
The new laparoscope will be used for a range of surgeries on children – including appendicectomy (removal of the appendix), surgery to stop gastric reflux (which untreated can burn holes in the gullet), and searching for impalpable testes (where a testicle cannot be found during external examination).
“This very modern laparoscope is a quantum leap ahead of our current equipment,” says Paediatric Surgeon Toni-Maree Wilson. “This will help us to keep abreast of modern trends in paediatric surgery.
“The main benefits for the patient include a smaller wound, less scarring and a reduced recovery time. It is also less invasive, which is an important consideration for many patients.
“From a surgeon’s perspective it allows us to see fine detail, get improved access and use tools which are far smaller than any surgeon’s hands,” Mrs Wilson says.
The equipment – which includes a HD screen, scope and a device to process images and is worth around $60,000 – is this week in use for the first time ever at Wellington Hospital.
It was donated by law firm Buddle Findlay; whose Chair, Peter Chemis, said; “We are pleased to be able to assist the Paediatric Surgeons in what they do, for the benefit of children in this district.”
Pictured with the new laparoscopic equipment are (from left):
Sarah Buckley (theatre nurse), Toni-Maree Wilson (paediatric surgeon), Peter Chemis (Chair of Buddle Findlay), Kevin Pringle (paediatric surgeon), Fiona Day-Paku (theatre nurse), Paul Quayle (theatre manager) and Deb Sherwin (theatre nurse).
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