With the passing of the years, innovations in the field of medicine have propelled it forward, resulting in huge leaps and making headway in the collective goal to make the world healthier and safer. But the pursuit of healthcare innovation is a lifelong endeavor, one that must not end as long as humanity exists.
This commitment to innovating healthcare and using the most groundbreaking medical techniques and equipment to ensure the best outcomes is alive and well in the halls of Cardinal Santos Medical Center (CSMC).
Since its inception, CSMC has gained the reputation of being one of the most technologically advanced medical institutions in the country. The hospital specializes in the fields of cardiology, neurosurgery, oncology, rehabilitation medicine and minimally invasive surgery (MIS). And CSMC has invested heavily in technologies that have enabled them to continue leading in these fields.
“Cardinal Santos Medical Center has made it a point to ensure that we offer our patients access to state-of-the-art technologies that are meant to treat some of the most complicated medical conditions,” Dr. Zenaida M Javier-Uy, Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer said. “We believe that by pursuing clinical excellence coupled with our brand of compassionate care, we are able to deliver the best care to our patients.”
As Gamma Knife Surgery requires no incision made to the head of the patient, most patients are able to be quickly discharged and sent home to continue their recovery.
One of the most important innovations introduced by the hospital to the country is Gamma Knife Surgery, performed at the Philippine Gamma Knife Center. Considered to be the “Gold Standard” in Stereotactic Radiosurgery, the Gamma Knife is leading edge technology to treat brain metastases, meningiomas, schwannomas, pituitary adenomas, arteriovenous malformations and a host of other brain diseases.
The top-line Gamma Knife Perfexion® model at the hospital allow neurosurgeons to use precise robotically controlled cross-firing beams of radiation to reach the depths of the brain. It is brain surgery without any incision. The procedure is simple, painless, and straightforward, and is usually performed on an outpatient basis.
Gamma Knife Surgery is a simple, painless, and straightforward procedure that is used to treat different brain conditions.
CSMC is also the home of the Cardiovascular Institute – Cardiac Catheterization and Interventional Laboratory (CSMC Cath Lab), a national referral center for coronary, neurovascular and peripheral interventional procedures that boast of some of the most respected physicians in Interventional Cardiology, Neuro-Radiology and Peripheral Vascular Medicine.
Life-saving minimally invasive vascular procedures are routinely performed at CSMC Cath Lab using needle access via the major arteries in the arms or the legs leaving behind a scar as small as the point of a ball point pen and small catheters to treat vascular lesions ranging from coronary artery occlusive disease, carotid artery disease, coronary and cerebral aneurysms, aortic aneurysm and dissection including peripheral arterial occlusive disease.
The CSMC Cath Lab team is the pioneer in the Philippines when it comes to the treatment of Very Complex and Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) coronary artery disease (CAD). It boasts of a success rate of 90% which is comparable to the Japanese national standard of 92% and much better than the global success rate of 55-65%. The CSMC Cath Lab is equipped with two state-of-the-art Cath Lab machines, Optical Computed Tomography (OCT), Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) and FFR/IFR which contribute to the high success rate of interventional procedures.
CSMC also boasts of a state-of-the-art Catheterization Laboratory which can handle various minimally invasive vascular procedures.
Aside from offering their patients technologically advanced medical services, CSMC also has an academic training institution called the Philippine Center for Advanced Surgery – Minimally Invasive Training Center (PCAS-MISTC). The PCAS-MISTC is the first of its kind in the Philippines and is one of the few MIS facilities on advanced surgery in Asia.
This facility is designed to allow medical experts, from here in the country and around the world, to gain access to modern surgical facilities and technology that will enable learning sessions facilitated by global leaders in the field of medicine.
Since 2014, PCAS-MISTC has trained 3,337 surgeons and 836 nurses in the Philippines as well as 1,079 surgeons from other countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Korea.
“PCAS-MISTC is a world-class training facility that showcases the excellence of Filipino medical professionals to their global peers. It also enables surgeons and other medical professionals from around the country to have first-class training in minimally invasive surgery so that they can make this more accessible to every Filipino wherever they are in the country,” Dr. Javier-Uy added.
Through these services and other groundbreaking medical procedures on offer, CSMC continues to ensure clinical excellence as they deliver outstanding care to their patients. With malasakit as a cornerstone of the hospital’s brand of service, CSMC does its part in elevating the practice of medicine and in doing so, improving access to quality healthcare in the country.
To know more about these services and other offerings of Cardinal Santos Medical Center, please visit https://cardinalsantos.com.ph/.
