SRINAGAR: A lung cancer patient was successfully treated by a team of doctors through the newly introduced Bronchoscopic Intervention technique at Chest Diseases Hospital Srinagar.
The rare feat was achieved by the doctors after an advanced technique “Electro cautery knife and CRE (controlled radial expansion) balloon dilatation” for palliative care of cancer patients was introduced for the first time at CD hospital in Srinagar.
“A 60-year male with lung cancer was referred to Chest Disease Hospital with a history of shortness of breath and noisy breathing. Bronchoscopy was done to visualize the patient’s airways, which revealed narrowing (stenosis) and obstruction of the patient’s right side of the lung. Obstruction was relieved using an electro-cautery knife and CRE (controlled radial expansion) balloon dilatation. The procedure was done under conscious sedation and the patient had relief immediately post-procedure and was discharged later,” read the statement.
Maintaining that the airway obstruction is caused by a number of diseases that include both cancerous and non-cancerous causes, the statement reads that the patient with varying degrees of symptoms ranging from cough, and shortness of breath to life-threatening respiratory failure need bronchoscopic intervention with the application of laser, use of electrocautery or placement of endobronchial stents and surgical interventions.
“Most of the time patients are not medically fit to undergo surgery and could be managed with bronchoscopic interventions. The facility of various bronchoscopic interventions for the management of airway stenosis have been made available at Government Chest Disease Hospital, Srinagar and it has improved the management of patients with airway obstruction and will reduce the need for such patients to move outside UT,” it said.
The statement further states that the procedure was performed by a team of interventional pulmonologists led by head of the department Dr Naveed Nazir Shah, Dr Tajamul hussain, Dr Firdous Manzoor, Dr Aaliya Azad, Dr Adnan Hamza, Dr Hina Mustafa, Dr Naeem , Dr Arshid Ahmad and Dr Aadil. Anaesthesia support during the procedure was provided by Dr Nazima and Dr Sadiya under the guidance of HOD Prof.Dr Rukhsana Najeeb. OT technicians included Gulzar, Mr Muhammad Younis and Mr Hafiz.
Pertinent to mention here that the department headed by Dr Naveed with the support of Dr Khursheed and other faculty members had already started advanced interventional procedures like Rigid bronchoscopy and stenting in cancer patients.
