The Ramsay Way 2016 | 04 9 HOSPITAL NEWS Masada Mother Baby Unit leads the way at Marcé Masada Private Hospital’s Professor Jane Fisher from the Hospital’s Mother Baby Unit has been elected President of the International Marcé Society at their recent Biennial Scientific Meeting The Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health is a scientific association formed to advance the understanding, prevention and treatment of mental health difficulties impacting on women, their infants and their partners around the time of childbirth. Professor Fisher, along with local and international colleagues, presented research at two of the conference symposia – ‘Innovation in Mental Health Promotion and Prevention: examples from Australia and abroad’ and ‘Sleep, Fatigue and Interventions’. Professor Fisher also chaired the final plenary session on ‘Frontiers in treating perinatal depression’. Masada’s Mother Baby Unit was one of just two of sites selected to host a post conference special event as part of the Marcé conference program. Twenty five international attendees were provided the opportunity to tour the Unit and see first-hand the program in action, meet with staff and patients and discuss the internationally unique model of care. Professor Fisher and the multi-disciplinary team walked the delegates through the Unit, giving them an overview of the offered services. Hat trick at Joondalup The first set of triplets to be born at Joondalup Health Campus (JHC) in more than a decade were safely delivered on October 20. Now a mother-of-seven, Abigirl Damba said the care she received from the hospital far surpassed what she may have received in her native country of Zimbabwe, where it is not uncommon for women to go an entire pregnancy without any antenatal scans. “One of my sisters back at home has twins and she didn’t know until the birth that she was carrying two babies!” she said. Mrs Damba said she was shocked but also happy to discover at 11 weeks along that she would have triplets. “It was a big shock,” she said. “I already have four other children at home and now we are a family of nine. We will soon need a bigger house!” JHC obstetrician Dr Maria Kladnitski said the delivery via caesarean section went smoothly with all three safely out within 35 minutes. Baby boy Bryson delivered first, followed by sisters Bianca and then Bailey. JHC obstetrics and gynaecological ultrasound specialist Bridget Jeffery was responsible for the scans and antenatal care throughout the triplet pregnancy and said Mrs Damba had done incredibly well to carry all three babies to 35 weeks and six days. “Triplets happen naturally in about one in 8000 Australian pregnancies,” she said. “Usually triplets are born around 32 weeks gestation, so to have carried these babies until just shy of 36 weeks is very good,” she said. “Amazingly, all three are non-identical; meaning three separate eggs were fertilised at the time of conception and each baby had its own placenta, which is better for their development.” The last set of triplets born at the hospital was to a JHC midwife back in early 2000. New option for skin cancer patients For the first time in Australia, a new type of skin cancer treatment is on offer to patients at Greenslopes Private Hospital. The Esteya Skin Brachytherapy is a non-invasive form of radiation therapy which produces low energy x-rays to treat superficial skin cancers less than 5mm in thickness and up to 4cm in diameter. The technology gives patients another early intervention choice in the treatment of their non-melanoma skin cancers. The first patient in Australia to use the machine is Gold Coast woman Susan Leigh-Smith who signed up for six treatment sessions at Greenslopes Private Hospital, chosing this option to avoid surgery so she could continue taking her prescribed blood thinners. The skin brachytherapy service, provided by Radiation Oncology Centres, also offers good cosmetic outcomes for areas such as the nose, cheek and lips. Radiation oncologist Prof Michael Poulsen said “the machine has been developed over many years and involves unique software which makes it very safe to deliver superficial radiation treatment for skin cancer patients. This is the first in Australia and the eleventh in the world.” “It’s only available for very superficial skin cancers so many skin cancers will not be eligible.” Cancer Council Queensland says more than 350,000 non-melanoma skin cancers are treated every year in the sunshine state. To contact Radiation Oncology Centres at Greenslopes, phone 07 3099 8400. daVinci coming to Sunshine Coast Men suffering from prostate cancer will now be able to access the most advanced treatment available with the Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital at Birtinya announcing the imminent installation of the da Vinci® Xi™ Surgical Robot System. The installation of the robot at Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital early next year will allow minimally invasive surgical procedures to be conducted at the hospital in a range of areas such as urology, gynaecology, thoracic, cardiac and general surgery. Hospital CEO Oliver Steele said he was delighted that the da Vinci Xi Surgical System would allow minimally invasive surgery to be available to patients and adds to the hospitals existing capabilities in Urological services including green light laser and ESWL. In particular, the Robot would be key to expanding urological services at the hospital with urologists welcoming the availability of the technology for prostate cancer patients who currently travel to Brisbane for this surgery. “This is the next frontier for men’s health on the Sunshine Coast,” he said. “We’ve invested $3.5M into this robotic system.” “The da Vinci prostatectomy is innovative technology that offers extraordinary benefits to patients and has revolutionised the treatment for prostate cancer,” said Sunshine Coast Urologist Dr Stuart Collins. “The da Vinci Surgical Robot System enables urologists to operate in the difficult to get to lower pelvis through very small incisions with unmatched precision. It is very effective and the least invasive surgical approach to prostate cancer treatment,” Dr Collins said. In the USA, over two thirds of all radical prostatectomies are currently performed using this technology where the robot replicates the surgeon’s hand movements. A high level of precision allows surgeons to perform this complex procedure using keyhole surgery, needing an incision of less than 1cm compared to an incision of up to 25cm for a traditional radical prostatectomy. “Benefits to patients include less pain, shorter stay in hospital, and less risk of infection,” Dr Collins said. “For me as a surgeon, the superior visualisation coupled with the integration of advanced wristed instruments allow for far greater dexterity, which translates into greater precision and less operator fatigue. Most importantly the robotic procedure can be performed with equivalent cancer specific outcomes,” he said. “It is fantastic that patients on the Sunshine Coast will soon have the technology available in their own backyard which will make it easier for them and their families in the post-operative period.” Professor Jane Fisher Three of a kind: Abigirl Dama with triplets Bianca, Bryson & Bailey Ntwari. Radiation therapists Belinda Petherick & Natalie Meagher, patient Susan Leigh-Smith & radiation oncologist Professor Michael Poulsen.
The Ramsay Way - 2016 Christmas Edition
To see the actual publication please follow the link above