Materia Medica Malaysiana

Girl undergoes ‘bloodless’ op

KUCHING: When doctors told Rani Lee that her daughter, Chelsea Lavina Brookeman, 11, needed major surgery to correct a deformity in the spine, she was adamant that it should be done without a blood transfusion.
Both Lee, 37, and her husband, Brookeman Jabing, 42, felt it was wrong to accept blood transfusions because of their religious beliefs.
“I told the doctors that I wanted my daughter’s surgery to be done without a blood transfusion.
“At first they were concerned because it would be a major operation but finally they agreed because the hospital has a cell saver machine to minimise blood loss,” she said.
Hence, Chelsea became the first patient at the Sarawak General Hospital to undergo a “bloodless” operation for congenital scoliosis on Dec 8.
According to orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ahmad Hata Rasit, one of three doctors who operated on Chelsea, the cell saver machine takes the blood lost during an operation, cleans it and reinfuses it into the patient again.
He said the machine had been available at the hospital since over a year ago and belonged to the cardiac department for use in heart surgery.
“This is the first time we have used it in a congenital scoliosis operation,” he said.