Cardiovascular Surgery Service performs unprecedented procedure in Brazil
A technology available in the United States and in European countries was applied, for the first time in Brazil, by the Cardiovascular Surgery Service of Pequeno Príncipe Hospital last December, by indication of the Electrophysiology Service of the institution. It involves the use of an envelope of antibiotics that surrounds the pacemaker in order to avoid bacterial infections – one of the most feared complications associated with the use of this type of device. The envelope is placed during the surgical procedure, involving the generator, and the local release of antibiotics is immediately started. Then, over the course of days, the envelope is completely reabsorbed by the body, thus reducing the possibility of infection.
“Some procedures, medications, and patient characteristics significantly increase the risk of a device infection. And these infections increase morbidity, length of stay and surgical reintervention in these patients,” explains the cardiologist responsible for the innovation, Lânia Romanzin Xavier, who is head of the Pequeno Príncipe’s Electrophysiology Service. And this is the main subject of the first edition of the Pequeno Príncipe News in 2023, that presents how this innovative procedure can contribute with more health and well-being to patients like Augusto, who was submitted to this new technology.
In this edition, you will also read an article about the electronic drug dispensers. These devices store medicines and hospital supplies and they are frequently used in the care of children and adolescents. The investment in the two dispensaries totalled US$ 75,195.04, made possible through the tax waiver project Pelo Direito à Vida II. The initiative began in 2018 and was approved by the State Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (CEDCA, abbreviation in Portuguese). Its main goal is to improve hospital and outpatient care with the provision of modern high-tech equipment, resources, and supplies.
The third article of the Pequeno Príncipe News shows more information about the Saber e Ver project, that is being developed by scientists from the Pelé Pequeno Príncipe Research Institute. The initiative seeks to understand the epidemiology, genetic causes, and neuropsychological issues associated with this disability, in order to contribute to improving the quality of life and help in the development of new treatments for this important part of the population. Around the world, near 1.4 million children are blind. In Brazil, visual impairment is the most prevalent, in different age groups.