Keyhole surgery equipment boost with £110,000 donation at Oswestry orthopaedic hospital
Patients undergoing back surgery at Oswestry's orthopaedic hospital are set to benefit from new state of the art surgical equipment which has been purchased by the league of friends at a cost of £110,000.
The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital's league of friends group has purchased endoscopic surgical equipment, which will enable the trust to carry out fully endoscopic spinal surgery.
This kind of surgery allows for the same operation and technique to be used as in open surgery, but done through a single and small keyhole incision, whereas in open surgery the incision can vary from 4cm to 8cm in length. This can result in much quicker recovery times for patients.
Mr Birender Balain, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at RJAH, said: “I’ve been involved in minimally invasive complex spinal surgery since 2010. As decompression and discectomies are the most commonly performed spine procedures, I thought we should look at offering those procedures through keyhole techniques.
“I think fully endoscopic spine surgery is the future of all common spine surgeries, and in five to 10 years’ time, new surgeons will all be trained in these techniques as there are huge benefits to patients.
RJAH was the first NHS hospital to practice fully endoscopic spinal surgery, and Mr Balain added: “So far we’ve done 45 cases at RJAH and I’m pleased to say that all have been successfully discharged. We’re using new equipment to enable this keyhole procedure thanks to a donation from the League of Friends, and we’re extremely grateful.”
Mark Brandreth, Chief Executive at RJAH, added: “Thank you to our wonderful League of Friends for generously funding this state-of-the-art equipment. This new kit will enable us to carry out this keyhole procedure.
“This will make a real difference for our patients, as this kind of surgery can result in a much faster recovery.”
