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The Ramsay Way - Autumn 2014

HOSPITALNEWS Cardiovascular suite upgrade for Greenslopes GREENSLOPES PRIVATE HOSPITAL HAS UNDERTAKEN A MAJOR UPGRADE OF ONE OF ITS CARDIOVASCULAR SUITES WITH THE INSTALLATION OF A NEW PHILIPS ALLURACLARITY SYSTEM. This new Cardiac Catheter Lab comes with a comprehensive set of system-wide improvements that virtually ends the trade-off between x-ray dose and image quality. GPH Director of Cardiology, Dr Narendra Kewal said that the installation of the new system would provide improvements in patient care. “The accuracy and speed of acquiring the images during minimally invasive procedures is vital,” Dr Kewal said. “What this new 12 The Ramsay Way - 2014 | 01 Australian first at Warringal technology is enabling us to do is to acquire quality images, at significantly reduced x-ray radiation dose levels. Reduced radiation dose translates to improved safety for patients and staff with fewer risks from radiation exposure”. Another advantage of the new system is that staff can now monitor dose radiation levels in real-time through the DoseAware system. “All major cardiology procedures are being done at Greenslopes and the hospital’s commitment to best patient care is demonstrated through the annual audit which shows a safety record in line with the best cardiac units in the country,” Dr Kewal said. PEEL HEALTH CAMPUS RECENTLY COMPLETED A PERIODIC SURVEY ACCREDITATION WITH THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL ON HEALTHCARE STANDARDS (ACHS), MEETING ALL THE CRITERIA AGAINST THE STANDARDS 1, 2 & 3 OF THE SAFETY & QUALITY HEALTHCARE STANDARDS AGAINST WHICH THEY ARE ASSESSED. The National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (NSQHS Standards) developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) were implemented nationally from 1 January 2013 and are compulsory for public and private healthcare organisations. This year is the first time Peel Health Campus has been surveyed against the national standards. As a periodic survey, the hospital has been assessed against the national Standards 1, 2 and 3 which look at Governance for Safety and Quality in Health Service Organisations, Partnering with Consumers and Preventing and Controlling Healthcare Associated Infections. Professor George Matalanis In regards to Standard 2, related to partnering with consumers, the ACHS surveyors commented: “This is the best performance we have seen in an organisation this size.” Overall, the surveyors were pleased with Peel Health Campus noting, “This is a really happy place. Staff take enormous pride in the work they do and patients feel very well looked after.” Peel Health Campus CEO, Dr Margaret Sturdy commended all staff on this fantastic achievement, particularly as a substantial amount of preparation for accreditation was undertaken during a time of transition in changing ownership of operations to Ramsay Health Care. IN JANUARY, PROFESSOR GEORGE MATALANIS PERFORMED AN AUSTRALIAN FIRST SURGICAL PROCEDURE AT WARRINGAL PRIVATE, USING THE VASCUTEK GRAFT BY THORAFLEX, ON AN OVERSEAS PATIENT FOR WHOM PREVIOUS TREATMENT HAD FAILED. The procedure has been pioneered in Italy and Germany, and Mr Matalanis was confident this procedure would provide the optimal outcome for the patient. “This gentleman had a previous operation in New Zealand where he had had an aortic dissection and they had replaced his valve and the beginning part of his aorta. He did well for eighteen months or so, but then started to develop more aneurysms in the arch and descending aorta,” Dr Matalanis said. In some patients with aneurysms, the aneurysm extends quite a distance involving the front part of the aorta, the arch (the middle), as well as the back part. Surgically, if the aorta is approached from the front of the chest, only the front and arch components can be reached but not the back part, and vice versa if the approach is from the back of the chest. This generally means that the operation has to be divided into two separate sittings. Even though the back procedure can sometimes be achieved in a minimally invasive “stent graft” procedure in the Cath Lab, it still commits the patient to two procedures. “What this new technology allows us to do is to treat both sites in the same operation in appropriate cases. In brief, it is a combination of a stent graft sutured onto a surgical graft with added branches that can be used to connect the various branches of the arch, such as the carotid or the innominate arteries. “It also has a little collar at the junction of the stent and surgical graft, which greatly facilitates the connection to the patient’s native aorta. “Overall, the technical modifications provided by the Thoraflex graft simplifies the operation.” The graft is still awaiting TGA approval, so health funds don’t cover the prosthesis, hence it becomes a case-by-case negotiation. “The technology potentially avoids a second operation, at which time stent grafts of equivalent costs to the Thoraflex would be needed. Thus, the economic benefits for the insurance companies are obvious, and we are optimistic they will soon be approve it. “The beauty of the device is the ability to treat the whole condition once. Patients can avoid the inconvenience and risks of a second procedure, not to mention the risks of rupture of the segment of aorta awaiting repair in intervening time.” Peel achieves outstanding accreditation result Peel gets decked out in Ramsay uniforms A huge delivery of Ramsay uniforms arrived at Peel Health Campus in January. CEO Dr Margaret Sturdy said the staff were very pleased to receive the uniforms. “Seventy-five percent of staff are now decked out in Ramsay uniforms,” she said. ACHS SURVEYORS COMMENTED: THIS IS THE BEST PERFORMANCE WE HAVE SEEN IN AN ORGANISATION THIS SIZE.


The Ramsay Way - Autumn 2014
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