SRINAGAR: Continuing with the pursuit of upgrading and providing advanced health care services to the patients, Govt. Chest Diseases (CD) hospital here has started another advanced technique ‘Electro Cautery Knife and Controlled Radial Expansion (CRE) Balloon Dilatation’ for palliative care of cancer patients.
A 60-year-old male with lung cancer was referred to Chest Disease Hospital with a history of shortness of breath and noisy breathing. For the management of lung cancer, the patient had received chemo-radiotherapy. A bronchoscopy was done to visualize the patient’s airways, which revealed narrowing (stenosis) and obstruction of the patient’s right side of the lung severe enough to cause patient symptoms.
Obstruction was relived using an Electro Cautery Knife and Controlled Radial Expansion (CRE) Balloon Dilatation. To avoid or reduce the chances of restenosis and obstruction, topical Mitomycin C was also applied locally (at the site of obstruction). The procedure was done under conscious sedation and the patient had relief of symptoms immediately post-procedure. He was kept under observation for 12 hours and was discharged later.
The facility of various Bronchoscopic interventions for the management of airway stenosis is available at Government Chest Disease Hospital, Srinagar. It has improved the management of patients with airway obstruction and will reduce the need for such patients to move outside UT.
The procedure was performed by a team of interventional pulmonologists led by the Head of the Department, Dr. Naveed Nazir Shah.
The department headed by Dr. Naveed with the support of Dr. Khursheed and other faculty members has already started advanced interventional procedures like Rigid bronchoscopy and stenting in cancer patients.
The department has expressed gratitude to the administration of CD Hospital and Principal Government Medical College, Prof Masood Tanvir for providing support to the department for upgrading facilities to provide quality services to the public.
