Back in July 2024, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) reached a historic milestone in the field of vascular surgery. The hospital successfully performed an emergency repair of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
This breakthrough marks only the third successful surgery of its kind in Guyana’s history. It highlights the rarity and complexity of such high-risk procedures.
An abdominal aortic aneurysm occurs when a section of the aorta, the body’s largest artery, weakens and bulges. If it ruptures, the situation becomes critical: with a pre-hospital mortality rate of 65%, and a further 1% decrease in survival rate per minute during transport, the odds are daunting.
Even within the operating room, the survival rate hovers around 50%.
The recent success at GPHC underscores the exceptional skill of the Vascular Surgery team, led by Consultant Vascular Surgeon Dr. Carlos Martin. Over the past three years, the team has managed to save three patients with ruptured AAAs.
Dr. Martin pointed out that prior to 2021, patients in Guyana with ruptured aortic aneurysms were only offered palliative care. This is because the necessary surgical intervention was not available locally. However, with substantial investment in specialized supplies by the hospital administration, life-saving surgeries have now become possible.
The latest operation involved a 56-year-old man from Guyana’s interior who was brought to GPHC’s Accident & Emergency Department in critical condition. The patient, with a dangerously low hemoglobin level and substantial blood loss, underwent an eight-hour surgery to repair a large infra-renal aortic and common iliac artery aneurysm with free rupture. The surgery was successful, thanks to the coordinated efforts of the surgical and clinical teams.
Dr. Martin expressed his deep appreciation to both the hospital administration and the clinical staff, acknowledging their crucial roles in managing this challenging case. He emphasized that the success of such procedures relies heavily on seamless teamwork.
The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation continues to strive for excellence in healthcare, aiming to provide advanced medical interventions and improve patient outcomes across Guyana. This landmark achievement by the Vascular Surgery team is a clear reflection of GPHC’s commitment to elevating the standards of care in the region.
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