Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) here has purchased two C-arm equipment to treat patients at the Orthopaedic Department.
In a press meet on Tuesday, Dr. V. Pugalenthi, head, Orthopaedics Department, said that the equipment, procured at a total cost of Rs.95 lakh, would enhance the number of orthopaedic surgeries at the hospital.
“The existing C-arm equipment was bought more than 10 years ago and was at the risk of failing any time. The advanced equipment purchased now helps the patients in speedy recovery,” he said.
With the equipment, they can identify the placement of screws or nails used in dealing with fracture cases and complete the procedures perfectly in a speedy manner, Dr. Pugalenthi explained.
According to doctors at the GRH, the equipment intensifies images through the X-ray imaging system. The doctors will be able to view the bone fragments and their alignment on LCD monitors, so that the fracture fragments can be reduced in perfect anatomical alignment.
The use of equipment will be pivotal in orthopaedic procedures such as fixation of fractures, alignment of fracture fragments, spine surgeries, foreign body removal and biopsy for deep tumour among others.
Dr. A.V.S.S. Shanmuganathan of the orthopaedics department said that the radiation dose from the equipment was less compared to regular X rays. “This is safe to the patients and medicos as well,” he said.
The department treats as many as 30 cases of fracture each day.
Most of them are accident victims, in the age group of 20 and 30. A considerable number of patients over 50 years were also being treated, doctors said.
With the new C-arm equipment in place, the doctor said, “We will be able to treat not less than 10 patients daily. For elderly patients, the risk of cardiac arrest was likely to be reduced.”
The equipment will reduce surgery time from one or two hours to less than half an hour and is an advantage to anaesthetists as well, according to Dr. Ganesh Prabhu, Director of the Institute of Anaesthesia.
The equipment, purchased through the Trauma Care Fund of the Central government, was inaugurated on Tuesday by Dr. B. Santhakumar, Dean of the GRH.
