World Health Day
Every year 7th April is celebrated as World Health Day. The World Health Organization (WHO) was founded on 7TH April 1948. Every year, on this day a concept is taken from an important event or a slogan is given to define the day. This year the concept was, “Good health adds life to years”. This slogan was addressed to the old age people. The aged males and females have become the neglected class of the society. This year the WHO seems to be more concerned about this neglected class. Hence on the eve of the World Health Day, WHO has laid down a concept to focus on this class of society and to provide them proper health and medical facilities and to utilize their experience and efficiency for the benefit of society.
The average life span is increasing day by day due to the advance technologies used in medical field and the production of various effective medicines. According to a survey made by WHO, after few years the number of aged people will be more in the world compared to the number of small children. According to a specification given by WHO, Health is not only related to body. A person is called as healthy if he is competent both mentally and socially. For example, a healthy person who is free from any kind of diseases does not prove his fitness. His usefulness to his family and alternatively to the society is also important.
The concept laid by WHO can be implemented by using techniques of modern medical science and alternate medical science. Among this it is suggested that the health ministry should opt for Homeopathic branch of medical science. In this branch, prophylactic as well as therapeutic medicines are available. The Homeopathic medicines have no side effect. There are good homeopathic medicines available for the diseases of aged people like breathing problem, skin problem, Arthritis, mental disorder, sleeping disorder etc. The aged people should also follow some regimen along with medicines. They are as follows:
Adequate rest.
Simple and balanced diet
Meditation and exercise
Imbibe good and healthy thoughts
Positive attitude towards life
Along with Homeopathy, the medical science should also make people aware about the Unani and Ayurvedic treatments.
On one side, the WHO is taking major steps to improve the health conditions of the aged people and making them aware of new and advanced technologies. While on the other side, the advanced medical technologies are utilized skillfully by the doctors of all over the world to spare the life of people. During the last year, various miracles happened in the medical field. The improved technology along with the strong determination of the doctors, created the most outstanding and unbelievable miracles all over the world. Let us have a look on some of the most nonplussed surgeries done in various surgical disciplines of medical field.
Orthopedic Surgery
The orthopedics department of Global Hospital, Chennai was successful in doing India’s first surgery of organ transplantation on a brain dead patient. Mohammad Meshari, a sixteen year old teenager is now able to lead his life to the fullest after undergoing the critical surgery for a badly curved spine. Mohammad was suffering from a bent back due to Scoliosis. He was unable to move and was leading a painful and abnormal life. But after the surgery, he is able to lead a normal life and will be having a bright future.
Scoliosis
The surgery performed on Mohammad Meshari was very difficult and delicate. Dr. K Sridhar, a highly renowned neuro and spine surgeon of Global Hospital, Chennai, performed this tedious operation. He is also the director of Institute of Neuroscience and Spinal disorder and has mastery in performing critical spinal, skull based and aneurysm surgeries along with difficult spine surgeries related to spinal tuberculosis. The surgery on Mohammad Meshari was performed in two steps. In the first step, Dr. Sridhar and his team opened the chest and straightened the bend of the spine. This was very complicated process. After 4 days the second step was performed in which the spine curvature was positioned properly by placing the screws. Both the surgeries took approximately 10-12 hours to complete. According to Dr. Sridhar, in this type of complicated surgery, the doctors are required to be very sure and perfect. Any small mistake might lead to paralyze the patient for the rest of his life. To avoid any further complications, a team of neuro-anesthesia performed a wake-up test to find if there is any damage to nerves and spinal cord.
Scoliosis, the disorder from which Mohammad Meshari was suffering, causes an unusual bend to the spinal cord. Due to which other parts of the body also gets twisted and the shape of the cord becomes like alphabet ‘C’ and ‘S’. The critical stage of Scoliosis also affects the functioning of lungs and creates pressure on heart. Hence it should be treated at an early age when there is an incomplete growth of bones. Mohammad’s sister too was suffering from the same disorder. She was operated in America but the surgery was not successful. Only braces were put in her spine which left some part of her back twisted. This condition of Mohammad’s sister made Dr. Sridhar more alert and he decided to operate Mohammad as early as possible to avoid the risk of unsuccessful surgery. The surgery has not affected Mohammad’s virility since he was operated at a smaller age when the bones are not completely developed. The surgery reduced nearly 60% of the bend of the spine. Mohammad was discharged from the hospital after four months and was happy to share his experience with the others.
Plastic Surgery
Thumb reconstruction
What is the use of a hand without thumb? A person without thumb is unable to do any work properly. He can’t even hold a pen or spoon and if he has lost his thumb accidently then it is more difficult for him to live without the thumb. Sham Sunder, a carpenter in Dubai has got his thumb crushed accidently while cutting the wood. This stopped him from doing his work since his thumb played an important role in his job. The doctors in Dubai suggested him a toe transfer surgery, which was to be done in India. Sham Sunder came to India and visited Yashoda hospital in Hyderabad. He consulted Dr. K. Murli Mohan Reddy, who is a cosmetic, Hand and Reconstructive micro surgeon at the Yashoda Hospital. He suggested Sham to undergo a thumb reconstruction surgery. Sham was not mentally prepared for such surgery initially. So he took his own time to think over such rarest type of surgery before undergoing it. He visited the hospital again after one month and gave his consent for the surgery. Dr. Murli explained all the details about the surgery to Sham and his family and assured that Sham will be able to lead a normal life after the thumb reconstruction and will be able to continue his work with the same ease.
Sham was operated by Dr. Murli Mohan Reddy and a plastic surgeon, Dr. T. Shashikant. His thumb was reconstructed using his own toe by microsurgery. The operation lasted for 6 hours. Doctors have decided that a new thumb will be constructed at the place of amputated thumb and for that joining of blood capillaries, muscles and the nerves was essential. The surgery was done in such a way that the patient will have no sensation about not having his toe after the surgery. After this successful surgery, Sham’s new thumb has recovered upto 80% and is working properly with good sensation and the doctors said that very soon nail will also grow on the new thumb. This surgery gave a new life to Sham Sunder.
According to the doctor’s team, thumb reconstruction is one of the rarest types of microsurgery. Basically the fact that a toe can replace the thumb is known to a very few people of the medical field. This type of surgery requires excellent surgical skills, cautiousness and technically advanced operation theatre. Proper first aid, proper planning of the surgery and proper health recovery after surgery plays an important role.
Transplant Surgery
The nephrology department of Moolchand hospital, New Delhi made a new record by performing the first non anesthetic kidney transplant. Another distinctive feature about this surgery was that not a single drop of blood was lost and transfused during the surgery. The surgery was performed on Gidon, the patient who is a follower of Jehovah’s Witness. This Christian sect prevented its followers from accepting blood transfusion due to Bible based reasons. Hence Gidon suggested the doctors to perform the surgery through non- blood alternatives.
The surgery to be performed was an organ transplantation which requires a donor and the patient whose kidney is to be transplanted. This itself includes a dual risk and should be performed carefully because any small mistake can endanger the life of two people. Along with this, in Gidon’s case the doctors were having the challenge to perform bloodless surgery. But this challenge was accepted and successfully accomplished by a team of doctors which included Dr. Ramesh Kumar, Senior Consultant of Moolchand Renal and dialysis hospital and an advisor in nephrology and transplantation, senior Transplant surgeon, Dr. H.S Bhatial and Senior Consultant Anesthesia, Dr. Langar. According to Dr. Kumar, in all the major surgeries of heart, kidney and brain blood is an important element and blood transfusion is required. But they respected the religious belief of the patient and opted for bloodless transfusion. In this type of surgery, the patient’s own blood is preserved and recycled during the surgery. One more difficulty in Gidon’s surgery was that his hemoglobin count was below 4.2 which meant that the patient could not be given anesthesia during the whole surgery. All these obstructions were cleared by the team of Dr. Ramesh Kumar very skillfully and the operation was successful.
The bloodless transfusion surgery is comparatively less expensive. It does not require any special surgical equipment. It does not have any side effects on the patient. There is lower risk of infection and it even does not reduce the resistance power of the patient which results in the early recovery.
Cosmetic Eye surgery
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We can now choose the color of our eyes and change it whenever we want. Isn’t it unbelievable? But its true and this miracle is done for the first time in India at Trichi situated in Tamil Nadu. A 25yr young lady from New Zealand was the lucky person on whom this surgery was carried out. The young lady flew down to India and wished to change her eye color from brown to beautiful olive green. This permanent eye color change surgery was done by Dr, Shibu Varkey, an eye surgeon and his team at Vasan Eye care hospital at Trichi. After the surgery, the young lady from New Zealand doesn’t face any problem and her vision is normal.
According to the Dr. Varkey, iris is the part of the eye that has the pigment which determines the color of our eyes. To change the eye color permanently, an artificial iris has to be placed on the natural iris. These artificial irises are made up of medical grade silicon and are available in six colors. To implant this artificial iris, a window of specific diameter is created in the cornea and through this the iris is placed upon the natural iris. The procedure requires a time of 15 min and is done by using local anesthesia.
This surgery is very useful in cases where there has been some change in the eye color due to some injury, albinism or any defect since birth. This technique is completely safe and can be used by people without any side effect. This type of surgery was first performed by a company in California and has claimed about the safety of the technique but it was not accepted at the international levels. In November 2011, the Storma Medical Agency tried to change the grey color of the eye to blue by using laser technique. Due to the laser rays, the grey color of the iris disappeared and after some days the eye color changed to blue.
Oncology Surgery
Alannanh Shevenell
The nine year old little girl Alannanh Shevenell is about to begin a new life after the critical organ transplant surgery. She has got six organs transplanted at a time. It is said that this was the first surgery of its type. Alannanh is happy to be discharged from the hospital and wishes to travel on the snow cart, make snowman, draw pictures and play with her grandmother.
Alannanh’s grandmother Debi Skolla said that when Alannanh was five year old, she suffered from fever and her weight reduced tremendously. Her stomach remained swollen. After examination she was diagnosed with a sarcoma tumor in the stomach. Doctors tried to remove the tumor twice but it was very complicated process. The tumor was of the shape of an octopus and it was linked to various organs. this made difficult to decide which organ to be removed. Even chemotherapy was of no use in Alannanh’s case. The increasing tumor caused unbearable pain to Alannanh and she was not able to eat anything, not even liquid diet.
When all the treatments failed, Alannanh was treated by Dr. Heung Bae Kim, MD of Children’s Pediatric Transplant Center, Boston. He suggested a very critical multivisceral surgery which would involve transplantation of six organs and thus removal of the tumor completely. Alannanh was operated by Dr. Heung Bae and his team in a 14 hr procedure. At first Alannanh’s tumor was removed initially and then the organs which were taken from a single donor were kept as a single unit and then transplanted into her body. Alannanh received an esophagus, liver, stomach, pancreas, spleen and small intestine. Alannanh had to wait for one year to undergo this surgery and receive the new set of organs. After three months she was discharged from the hospital but she still has to take 9 kinds of treatments daily.