New Procedures That Are Revolutionizing Medicine

Medical science is progressively making rapid technological advancements aimed at revolutionizing and streamlining existing medical procedures. Previously unheralded medication, treatments and procedures are being developed and introduced at a very expeditious rate.

Stakeholders in the industry are working harder than ever to come up with procedures and medications aimed at providing cheaper, faster and more effective patient care. New procedures introduced are giving much better results and taking less time in comparison to conventional procedures.

Minimally invasive options are fast gaining traction in the medical industry owing to their comparative effectiveness.

Against a backdrop of healthcare reforms and controversial taxes in the health sector, procedural advances like endoscopic skull base surgery and lasic eye surgery are increasingly changing the way we perceive healthcare.

Pioneered by Dr. Hrayr Shahinian, endoscopic skull base surgery is a minimally invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of tumors and other skull base conditions. This procedure uses minute endoscopes with angled tips that go through the nostrils and into the adjoining sinuses, the skull base and the brain.

This procedure confers many benefits to the patient. Some of these benefits include:

1. It offers the neurosurgeons a clear panoramic view of the tumor needing removal. This considerably reduces the likelihood of interfering with other critical structures like the brain, nerves and vascular tissue during the procedure. Interference with these structures would be detrimental to the health of the patient
2. The clear, unobstructed view provided by the procedure also enables the neurosurgeons to remove the entire tumor. Neurosurgeons like Dr. Hrayr Shahinian now have full access to tumors, including those buried deep under the brain. Notably, this limits the chances of a recurrence.
3. Minimally invasive procedures like this one also reduces scarring as no external incision is required. This is in sharp contrast to the traditional approach that involves formations of large incisions and craniotomies, leaving the patient considerably scarred. There is also considerably less pain during and after this procedure.
4. As few or no incisions are made, the procedure reduces the time needed for recovery and enables the patient resume their normal routine in no time. This helps curb the costs that would have been incurred from a prolonged hospital stay, as in with the traditional approach.

Patients typically return home within 48 hours of the procedure, enjoy a rapid recuperation period and are back to their normal activities shortly after.

Lasik eye surgery, on the other hand, is a procedure used in the correction of vision for people who are either farsighted, nearsighted or have astigmatism.

Lasik (laser-assisted-in-situ-keratomiulesis) is one of the more common refractive surgeries today. Refractive surgeries work by changing the shape of the cornea to correct a defect in its refractive properties.

Lasik has numerous benefits including:

1. Unlike other forms of refractive surgery, Lasik allows corrective adjustments years after it is done to accommodate vision changes with age.
2. Lasik eye surgery is completely pain free due to the numbing drops used during the procedure. Unlike other procedures, it also does not require that the patient is stitched or wears a bandage during the recovery period.
3. There is also a considerable reduction in contact lens and eyeglass dependency after the procedure.

Article by Jennifer Smith