Cairns Hospital has become the first public hospital in Queensland to perform a cutting-edge procedure to support patients who need kidney dialysis.
Four patients recently underwent special surgery, known as endovascular arterio-venous fistula (endoAVF) formation, to correct issues with their kidneys.
EndoAVF is a type of ‘keyhole’ surgery to create a permanent connection between an artery and a vein to help haemodialysis.
Haemodialysis is a treatment to help kidney failure by filtering waste and excess fluid from the blood.
All haemodialysis patients require an arterio-venous fistula (AVF) to ensure good blood flow, but usually this connection is made using open surgery, cutting into the arm.
Cairns Hospital senior vascular surgeon Dr Sherab Bhutia performed the first four operations and said they had all gone extremely well.
‘We do detailed ultrasound mapping and select the patients who are most suitable,’ he said.
‘EndoAVF is less invasive, cosmetically more appealing, less painful and requires less reintervention than the usual open AVF.
Dr Bhutia said he hoped to perform the procedure on about 20 patients as part of a pilot study and assess them to see if it was something the hospital would continue long-term.
He described the vascular unit at the Cairns Hospital as a centre of excellence, producing world-class results whilst offering both traditional and cutting-edge procedures for the benefit of the local patients.
Patrick King, who lives in Mareeba, was one of the four patients to receive an endoAVF.
Mr King, who has been receiving treatment for kidney disfunction for about 20 years, said he was relieved he did not have to travel far for surgery.
‘It’s great to be one of the first to have the surgery,’ he said.
‘I was a bit sceptical at first that it would work, but the operation and everything went really well and it seems to be making a difference.’
Another patient, John Wienert – also from Mareeba – was amazed that the surgery barely left any scar on his arm.
‘The microsurgery has made it easier for me to receive dialysis,’ he said.