Hospital Saves Life With New Procedure

Thursday, August 5, 2004

The first repair of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm was successfully carried out in this country at the Cayman Islands Hospital in July, saving the life of a patient.

The life-saving operation was performed by a team of physicians led by vascular surgeon, Dr Sadeo Kairsingh, with the assistance of general surgeon Dr Darley Solomon and Anaesthetist D Christopher Nwaefulu following the correct diagnosis of the signs and symptoms of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in the patient by Emergency Room Physician, Dr Nigel Boothe.

Usually, patients with this condition are airlifted overseas for treatment, but with the recent expansion in the range of medical services at the Cayman Islands and the addition of a vascular/general surgeon to the team at the Cayman Islands Hospital, the medical intervention was able to be successfully done on-island.

Had the patient been airlifted, the chances of survival would have been significantly reduced.

About 50 percent of patients die without making it to hospital in the event of aneurysm rupture. Symptoms of rupture include back pain, abdominal pain and collapse. Surgical/endovascular repair of the abdominal aorta is usually the only option, but even so the mortality is still about 50 percent worldwide.

The outcome is far better if this condition is detected before rupture, with mortality rates of 5 percent for elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs.

Medical Director of the Health Services Authority (HSA) Dr Courtney Cummings said: “Given those statistics and the fact that our physicians were able to properly diagnose the patient’s condition and perform immediate life-saving surgery, is itself a major feat, and again shows the quality of staff we have here at our facility.”

The HSA’s Medical Director also highlighted the fact that the patient was discharged 14 days after the procedure, which is very unusual since most patients require an extended period of hospitalization. “This is further evidence of the skills and quality of medical care given by the team of physicians, nurses and support staff,” said Dr Cummings.

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