Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service – New technology and training assist the Vascular surgery team to perform more complex surgeries than ever before, benefiting close to 1,000 local patients every year

Source:Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service LinkedIn

Thanks to new technology and training our vascular surgery team is performing more complex surgeries than ever before, benefiting close to 1,000 local patients every year.

Sunshine Coast Health Director of Vascular Surgery Dr Pankaj Jha said he and his team were now able to perform operations not possible in many other parts of the state.

“We’re offering very advanced treatments using new cutting edge technology.

“We are one of the few specialties that operate all over the body so if there is a problem with blood vessels anywhere other than the heart and brain we can treat them.

“One of the main developments has been in our ability to provide needle hole operations whereby we can treat blocked arteries in the legs for example, through a needle hole in the groin.

“Previously, open or bypass surgery was the only option and would have resulted in long incisions down the leg and a much longer recovery. Now, patients are sitting up and having dinner at the end of the day rather than recovering in intensive care for days on end.

“We’ve also seen an increase in the range of people who we can treat with this new technology. Previously, many aged over 75 would have been told they couldn’t have certain surgeries because it was too taxing and they would have been managed with a ‘wait and see what happens’ approach.

“Now, with our high-quality equipment that very few other QLD Health hospitals have and the staff, we can offer complex, high level care to our patients.

“Our development is twofold. Technology is the key because a lot of these newer treatments we offer are a product of manufacturers creating devices that are more refined and can reach further down into the body which allows us to open smaller arteries and offer treatments that previously were either unheard of or not possible.

“At the same time we are constantly growing the knowledge and skills of all who work with us to keep up with the latest engineering and techniques that are available,” Dr Jha said.