The first laser treatment of kidney stone in Guyana was done on Thursday at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital by Dr. Rajendra Sukhraj. St Joseph Mercy Hospital is the first and the only hospital in the country with the equipment and expertise to offer this service.
The patient was a 34-year old female with a 1.1cm stone in the kidney. This was successfully treated and the client was discharged within hours on the procedure. Traditionally, this would have been treated with a 4-inch flank incision requiring 2-3 days hospitalization and 6 weeks convalescence. With laser treatment, there is no incision on the abdomen, and the patient can return to work the next day.
This essential piece of equipment was procured by Surgical Associates Guyana in collaboration with the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. Surgical Associates Guyana is a group of fully trained and highly skilled Guyanese surgeons based at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital with the mission of providing the Guyanese people with world-class surgical care. Management thanks maintenance manager Mr. Keith John, and his facilities team for helping with the installation of the equipment and OR manager Mr. Godfrey Shepperd and the OR team for ensuring that this first case was performed with precision and success.
(Photo with the operating room team and the laser machine).
