FORT FRANCES – La Verendrye General Hospital had a milestone day last month.
On Oct. 21, Dr. Ahmed Zakaria and supporting staff completed the first thulium laser procedure ever performed at the Fort Frances hospital.
In fact, it was the first thulium laser procedure ever done in the Rainy River District, according to Riverside Health Care.
The non-invasive laser technology leads to better outcomes and shorter recovery time for patients, said hospital officials.
The capacity to perform such procedures at La Verendrye General “will significantly reduce waiting lists in the district and region” and reduce travel to places outside the region for surgeries, Riverside stated in a news release.
A spokesperson for Riverside told Newswatch two laser procedures were performed on Oct. 21: lithotripsy (treatment of kidney stones) and ureteral lesion ablation (destroying tumors or other abnormal tissue).
Zakaria teaches at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s Thunder Bay campus and is a member of the urology department at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
Riverside’s news release said every staff member involved in last month’s laser treatment’s at the La Verendrye hospital has certification in laser safety.
Staff members in the operating room wore safety sunglasses and the room was equipped with laser-blocking blinds to guard against laser-related injuries.
“I would like to acknowledge the great effort by the team and the operating room staff to get the service running so everything went successfully,” said Zakaria.
Henry Gauthier, Riverside’s chief executive officer, said the addition of thulium laser capabilities “is another milestone in our ongoing efforts to bring increased services closer to home for the benefit of the district.”
Riverside Health Care operates La Verendrye General Hospital, Rainy River Health Centre and other facilities serving the Rainy River district’s more than 20,000 residents.
