Thrilled by direction of experts from Viet Duc University Hospital for two tele- cholecystectomies at the same time

05/10/2020 07:15

From the online streaming screen, two cholecystectomy were performed at 2 provincial hospitals simultaneously under direct consultation of Viet Duc University Hospital’s specialists.

 

Viet Duc University Hospital (VDUH) is the first medical facility who provides tele-medical services 15 years ago in the Project of strengthening the ability of satellite hospitals approved by the Ministry of Health in 2004.

 

In 2006, VDUH implemented the first online surgical consultation for Viet Tiep General Hospital (Hai Phong Province) and later on, it has become a regular tele- health care services. Up to, VDUH has connected with more than 100 point-to- point wireless bridge including hospitals at the district level, private and public hospitals who registered as a satellite partners of VDUH.

 

Early September 2020,  the Center of online medical services  (telehealth services) of VDUH launched, it has regularly organized online surgical consultations, especially via laparoscopic surgical system with 3D Einstein Vision technique to remote hospitals. Our leading specialists expect that this system will become a platform to create a “flat world” in health care.  With this system, even medical facilities at district, commune level could ask for the consultation from specialists of hospitals at national level. All geographic distances or level divergences will be blurred out.

In the afternoon of September 25^th, at the time of the 1000 online streaming sites opening ceremony at a national site (La Thanh Hotel, Hanoi), from VDUH site, an online surgical consultation for 2 difficult operations at Dien Bien General Hospital and Quang Ninh General Hospital was held leading by Prof. TRAN Binh Giang, PhD., MD. – Director of VDUH.

 

About the 1^st case from Dien Bien General Hospital, it’s a 43 years-old female patient admitted to the hospital on the September 15^th due to uncontrolled abdominal pain at the right lumber region. Hematologic test showed an elevation of white blood cell. Abdominal ultrasound revealed a thickening of the gallbladder’s wall associated with a hemangioma in the right hepatic lobe. The patient had  also history of gastric ulcer.

Doctors from Dien Bien General Hospital have the questions to experts of  VDUH that the cholecystectomy should be done before or after  the treatment of gastric ulcer completed.

 

Responding via online streaming connection, Ass. Prof. TRAN Dinh Tho – Vice director of VDUH said “We need to treat both disease  in parallel  because there will be the risk of necrosis”

 

About the inquiry whether surgical intervention is recommended in the treatment of cholecystitis in elderly patient, Ass. Prof. TRAN Dinh Tho assumed “Cholecystitis in elderly patient is not an absolute contra-indication. With conditions like Dien Bien General Hospital, indication of cholecystectomy is totally possible.”

 

After being consulted more about professional aspects of that case, Dien Bien General Hospital’s team started with general anesthesia and performed the operation. On the streaming screen of all sites, common bile duct, gall bladder with thin wall and cystic artery… were visibly explored.

 

While waiting Dien Bien General Hospital to complete the operation, Quang Ninh General Hospital reported about 2^nd case of a 44-years-old patient admitted to the hospital on the September 22^nd for abdominal pain at the right hypochondriac region with diagnosis of gallbladder lithiasis. After having agreement from specialists’ about treatment choice of cholecystectomy, patient was transferred to the operating room.

 

“Dissection should be done step by step with serenity for avoiding later complications. It is recommended for surgeons to reduce the fat tissue layer below the hepatic common confluence in order to grasp precisely” Prof. TRAN Binh Giang, PhD., MD., meticulously answered all questions about patients’ cases as well as reminded operating team.

 

To cheer the atmosphere up due to nearly 30 specialists of VDUH and others from streaming sites were monitoring the operations, Mr. the Director of VDUH shared more about the effectiveness of telemedicine.

 

According to Prof. Giang, nowadays, with the development of science and technology, especially in the media and digital technique, we have more and more facilities to improve working quality, especially for telemedicine. If in 2006, to establish a surgical tele-consultation like this, VDUH had to connect with interprovincial telecommunication center of VNPT then from provincial telecommunication center to provincial hospital. It’s really complicated process.

 

Now just a mouse click in the computer, we could have connection via optical cable to wireless network such as Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G… So, telemedicine and online consultation become more and more effective.

 

There has been a lot of cases that lower-level hospitals contact VDUH for troubles occurring during operation and we have an emergency team available 24/7 with leading experts who are able to support right away.

 

After nearly 1 hour, on the streaming screen, two operations from Dien Bien General Hospital and Quang Ninh General Hospital were completed at the same time. Surgeons from 2 hospitals one by one reported about their successful cases. Prof. TRAN Binh Giang, Director of VDUH congratulated both hospitals for well performing the operations and shared some experiences on post-operative care to them.

At the end of program, all medical teams stayed for the Prime Minister’s speech from national streaming site. They all expressed their happiness about a new step of Telemedicine activities, a project with great humanism meaning heading towards to improve the quality of health care for people in all over the country.

 

Sharing Gia Dinh & Xa Hoi journalist, Prof. TRAN Binh Giang said: “VDUH and 6 satellite hospitals joining into the live broadcast so I think the launched ceremony for connecting to 1000 bridge points  were successful. We highly appreciate the Prime Minister in particular , Deputy Prime Ministers and the Ministries for their attention to this event. We hope that this system will continue to develop bringing actual benefits in medical services from higher to lower level hospitals, blurring geographical distance and heading towards to the best services for patient”.