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August 7, 2009
by Marketing
Services
PASCO REGIONAL
MEDICAL CENTER ANNOUNCES
NEW SINGLE INCISION LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY
[DADE
CITY, Fla., August 7, 2009] – Pasco
Regional Medical Center (PRMC) announced today that it is now offering the next
generation single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS™) procedure. PRMC was the first hospital in Pasco County
to offer single incision laparoscopic surgery using the Covidien SILS™.
The pioneer surgery was a
LAP-BAND® procedure – an adjustable gastric band for weight loss – performed by
renowned bariatric surgeon Dr. Lee Grossbard in April, 2009. The SILS™ procedure is used for many
laparoscopic surgeries including hernia repair, and cholecystectomy, also know
as gallbladder removal.
Most recently, surgeons at
PRMC used the SILS™ technique to perform a cholecystectomy. According to Chief of Surgery Dr. P.
Krishnaraj, the attending surgeon, the procedure was performed on an outpatient
basis and the patient returned home just hours after surgery. Krishnaraj said the patient may not even have
a visible scar from the surgery. One of
the advantages of the SILS™ procedure is that it utilizes only one access
point, through the patient’s umbilicus, or belly button, ultimately resulting
in the potential for no visible scar. By
comparison, traditional laparoscopic cholecystectomies involve up to four ½-inch
or smaller incisions that may leave scars.
“Pasco Regional is equipped
to offer patients the most advanced form of laparoscopic surgery,” Krishnaraj
said. “We are thrilled to be at the
forefront of yet another surgical advancement that continues to transform the
minimally invasive arena, resulting in even better experiences for
patients.”
Currently, more than 80
percent of all cholecystectomies performed in the Unites States are done
laparoscopically with multiple access points.[1]
Using the next generation SILS™ procedure surgeons can make a single 20mm
incision through the belly button minimizing the pain that may be associated
with the additional sites of entry and virtually eliminating scaring.
Approximately 500,000 procedures
are performed each year in the U.S.
to remove the gallbladder, a small pear-shaped organ located in
the upper abdomen beneath the bladder. [2] While the gallbladder’s main function – to
store bile produced by the liver and release it for digestion – is important to
the body, it is not essential.[3] Gallbladder surgeries are usually performed
for the treatment of gallstones – small solid formations of cholesterol and
bile salts within the gallbladder – or inflammation of the gallbladder, known
as cholecystitis.
“At Pasco Regional, our mission is to identify
and exceed expectations of quality. Patient
care is our highest priority. Procedures
including the SILS™ technique are instrumental in helping us fulfill our mission
of offering patients the latest advancements in medicine and the highest
quality of care,” said Pasco Regional CEO Stan Holm.
Pasco Regional Medical Center
is an award winning 120-bed acute care facility located off State Road 52,
eight miles from I-75 and one mile from U.S. Highway 301 in Dade City, Fla.
The hospital is set on 22 acres and encompasses 84,000 square feet on two
levels. The professional staff and caring physicians have provided quality care
to the community since 1973. For more information, please visit www.PascoRegionalmc.com.
# # #
[1] National Institute
of Health. Gallstones and
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy. NIH
Consensus Statement, 1992.
<http://consensus.nih.gov/1992/1992GallstonesLaparoscopy090html.htm>
[2] National Digestive Diseases Information
Clearinghouse. Digestive Diseases Statistics; NIH Publication No. 06–3873,
December 2005. Accessed January 16, 2009.
[3] Surgery Channel. Cholecystectomy
(Gallbladder Removal). Healthcommunities.com, Inc., 2008. Accessed March 17,
2009. <http://www.surgerychannel.com/cholecystectomy/index.shtml>
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