A new tool for performing hysterectomies was used at Grays Harbor Community Hospital in June that offers women a less-invasive option that is quicker and safer than more traditional hysterectomies that require incisions, and significantly decreases the patient’s recovery time.
“The overwhelming benefit is a much faster recovery compared to the open procedure,” said Dr. Carey Martens, an OB/GYN from Coastal Women’s Health in Aberdeen who performed the hysterectomy on a local woman. “This includes less time in the hospital and faster return to work. During the surgery itself there is less risk of injury to certain organs in the pelvis.”
The new device is called the Olympus Contained Tissue Extraction (CTE). This was the 22nd successful use of this tool, according to Grays Harbor Community Hospital Marketing and PR Director Nancee Long, and he was only the ninth physician worldwide to perform this procedure.
Most women requiring a hysterectomy would be a candidate for this procedure, unless they have a history of abnormal pap smears or may have uterine cancer. The CTE is also used to perform myomectomies, a procedure that removes fibroids – the most common kind of tumors found in the female reproductive system that are rarely cancerous — from the uterus.
A traditional hysterectomy can take anywhere from 60 minutes to nearly two hours. Dr. Martens said the CTE procedure takes 45 to 60 minutes, reducing operating time which can also make it safer for the patient. According to Dr. Martens, the procedure differs from a traditional hysterectomy in the fact that it leaves the cervix behind, attached to the vagina.
“This decreases potential complications by eliminating the possibility of the vagina opening up into the abdomen after surgery during recovery,” he said. “The problem then arises with removing the uterus through the small holes in the abdomen we place our instruments through. Olympus has created a system that can remove the uterus in pieces while inside a bag (the Pneumoliner) in the abdominal cavity. With the removal being done in this bag, no fragments of the uterus are left behind that may carry a small chance for postoperative complications.”
The procedure does not, however, necessarily make things easier for the physician. “In fact, it takes more skill and experience to perform, but that is offset by the quicker recovery of the patient.”
The Contained Tissue Extraction System manufactured by Olympus Corporation of the Americas is made up of two components. The first is their PneumoLiner, described by the company as “a first-of-its-kind tissue containment device” that contains the material to be removed, separating it from the surrounding tissue. Second is the “next-generation laparoscopic PK Morcellator to provide certain appropriate, low-risk patients with a laparoscopic surgery option to avoid open hysterectomy and myomectomy.” The morcellator basically burns away the targeted material.
Long said, “We are excited to be able to provide this cutting-edge type of procedure at GHCH.”
