KAMC Purchases Latest Neurosurgical Apparatuses
In a step towards reducing the death rate of those affected with brain damage and nerve disease, King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) plans to implement two new important monitoring systems: Licox and Camino. Licox, Brain Tissue Oxygen Monitoring System, is used for continuous intracranial monitoring of pressure, oxygen and temperature of the brain, while Camino is a transducer tipped pressure temperature monitoring system that provides intracranial pressure, intracranial temperature and cerebral perfusion pressure.
Speaking about the importance of the two apparatuses, Dr. Ahmad Al Jabbary, the head of the Neurological Intensive Care Unit, said that patients with serious brain damage have the most to gain from the monitoring systems as they have the highest death rate. The University of Pennsylvania in the U.S. conducted studies that showed that the number of death decreased from 52% to 29% when using the devices.
The medical apparatuses have the same functions of traditional oxygen monitoring systems but in a more effective way. Furthermore, they are easy to use and do not require neurosurgeons to operate. With proper training, regular emergency and ICU physicians could use them. This saves time and effort, and spares patients in remote areas from looking for someone to operate the apparatus. The devices can also be kept in patients’ rooms instead of moving patients to the operation room.
Asked about complications that might occur from using new devices, Dr. Al-Jabbary replied that the complications are less than those that occur when using traditional apparatuses. Dr. Al Jabbary called for providing more advanced neurosurgery ICUs in the Middle East to save the lives of patients.