Children hospital to conduct ‘first ever’ surgical procedure

The hospital is now equipped with two critical pieces of equipment to enhance the precision of surgical procedures while facilitating training for residents in paediatric surgery.

During the handover ceremony recently, Dr. Sara Marshall Miles, Consultant Paediatric Surgeon at BHC, said that “there are multiple benefits to minimally invasive surgery. These include fewer analegesic requirements for patients, a faster return to routine activities, a reduction in the risk of adhesive postoperative small bowel obstruction, fewer wound complications, a shorter hospital stay, and fewer funds needed for pain medication. In addition, minimally invasive surgery will significantly decrease the cost of purchasing equipment at the hospital and reduce the number of admissions during the night.

She added that “the staff will be able to see more magnified images, see more clearly, and improve precision in surgery. Also, it will allow us to know that we are practicing medicine that is on par with worldwide and world-class institutions."

During his remarks, Mr. Wentworth Charles, Board Chairman, South East Regional Health Authority, said that patients and staff will benefit significantly from the C-Arm machine. The C-arm machines are mainly used in orthopaedic, pain management, and emergency procedures. The equipment will also be used to visualize the small bones of children in real time, allowing for their accurate reduction and subsequent placement.

He noted that the Bustamante Hospital for Children (BHC) is the only specialist paediatric hospital in the English-speaking Caribbean, and with this equipment, the facility will also be the first and only hospital to offer training in minimally invasive surgery for paediatric surgery residents across the English-speaking Caribbean. The hospital, and by extension, the patients, will benefit as it will now acquire the capacity to offer cutting-edge surgical options at the facility.

The C-Arm and laparoscopy machines, valued at $46 million, were handed over by Mr. W. Billy Heaven, Chief Executive Officer, CHASE Fund, during a ceremony on the hospital grounds.