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GPHC gets Chinese support to conduct first modern orthopaedic procedure
Members of the Chinese Medical Brigade, Dr. Yuan Hui and Dr. Zou Guoyou along with Dr. Shawn Bancroft.
The use of CT Scan and the exchange of knowledge has been key factors that have positioned the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC] to improve its capacity to deal with difficult fractures.
The hospital has been gaining support in this regard from Orthopedist, Dr. Zou Guoyou, a member of the Chinese Medical Brigade which arrived in Guyana about two months ago. Although the Brigade is scheduled to spend one year here, its support has already been proving to be instrumental.
This was manifested when the Orthopaedic Department of the GPHC was recently faced with one of its most difficult cases.
The case in question was that of a motorcyclist who was admitted after sustained debilitating injuries in a road accident.
The patient, whose information has not been released, would be the first to undergo a breakthrough orthopaedic procedure at the public health institution.
Reports are that following thorough x-ray studies, medical practitioners were able to determine that the patient had sustained a comminuted fracture with tibia plateau collapse. In essence the patient suffered a complex fracture that is usually difficult and even near impossible to fix.
However, ahead of conducting the procedure, surgeons at the hospital had proposed that an anterior approach be used. This decision was based on the x-rays of the patient’s injury which saw it being classified as a Schatzker type IV.
To address this, the fracture would require two large V-shaped incisions – antero-lateral and medial – that would have had to be made to expose the fracture. However, it was noted that the use of this extensive approach has on many occasions led to infection and skin necrosis because of its extensiveness.
The department’s senior surgeons moreover challenged the feasibility of using the anterior approach in this case sighting the fact that the fracture was extending posterity. A decision was made for a CT scan to be done to further study the personality of the fracture.
According to the orthopaedic team at the GPHC, an anterior approach seemed tenable based on Schatzker classification for this patient. However, Schatzker classification is based on x-ray evaluation, which only displays bone structure in two dimensions but this fracture seemed to be beyond the Schatzker classification.
As such the medical practitioners saw it necessary to study CT films before choosing a surgical approach. In this case, CT films demonstrated that the location of the fracture was mainly posterior medial.
Another solution to such pattern of fracture, named the posteromedial approach, which has been mentioned in many academic literatures was contemplated. All of the GPHC’s consultants agreed with this surgical plan.
And since it was clear that Dr. Zou has had vast experience in posteromedial approach, he was given the chance to lead the first such surgical procedure at the GPHC. The procedure saw the patient undergoing open reduction and internal fixation. The outcome was successful and hospital officials were only too eager to share this success story yesterday.
With Dr. Zou’s continued support, the hospital has been able to detect shortcomings when it comes to dealing with fractures of the tibia and better appreciate the benefits of CT Scans in assessing such conditions.
The hospital was recently able to acquire a CT Scan machine which has opened new options for surgeons at the institution.
With the knowledge shared by Dr. Zou, in excess of 15 medical practitioners at the GPHC are poised to continue to offer the intricate procedure long after the Chinese Medical Brigade at the GPHC would have left.
Lauding the support yesterday was Dr. Shawn Bancroft who noted that “[Dr. Zou] has been able to bring some new concepts from China and other parts of the world where he would have done researches and studies to actually implement and integrate them into our system.”
“By doing so we will actually improve the quality of life of the patient because with newer surgical approaches, the surgical intervention might actually be easier [allowing for] less surgery time and this will mean greater recuperation for the patients in the rehab phase,” said Dr, Bancroft.
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