Medical breakthrough in the Philippines

The year 2009 is a fruitful one to the medical field in the Philippines. There are many firsts that medical practitioners proudly announced to the tri-media (radio, television and print).

The Orthopedics Department of Manila Doctor’s Hospital announces its two firsts that helped a lot of patients who are suffering from low back pain and cervical spine (located at the neck).

1. Interspinous Process Decompression (IPD). The IPD is first in the Philippines last year but is being practiced in more progressive countries, like USA, Canada and UK. Spinous process concentrates on adjustment of the spine to give more spaces to the nerves that circulate the blood in the body. Those persons who are experiencing low back pain (LBP) and want to undergo such operation will just spend a maximum of twelve minutes for the minimally invasive procedure called IPD. The normal incision is about two centimeters and takes an hour to finish by using a medical bi-plane machine and X-ray. Now that IPD is being practice in the country, the patient can only have a one-centimeter incision and have a safe aperius implants between the spaces of the spines and can spend at the operating table for twelve minutes.

2. Cervical Inter facet Distraction Decompression (CIFDR).The operation called CIFDR is both first in the world and in the country, too. Dr. Jose Manuel Ignacio, MD and Dr. Rafael Cruz, MD of the Orthopedic Department of Manila Doctor’s Hospital explained that the procedure involves the placing of implants between the facet joints of the cervical spine, located at the neck to ease the pain and numbness being felt by the patient when the nerves are agitated by the pressure that can lead to heart attack due to abnormal blood circulation. A patient will undergo a general anesthesia; then with the use of C-arm, there will be an open channel that will aid in inserting the implants between the facet joints. The alternative process of surgery will take only a half hour or thirty minutes to finish.

With the help of the so-called medical tourism, it will add more income to many local hospitals who will practice such medical procedures. Patients will be ensured that they're in capable hands that can give their normal lives back.