“November 2, 2016 – Rio de Jineiro, Brazil (MEDTRONIC.COM NEWSROOM BY STAFF)”.
Rio de Jineiro, Brazil – Between surgeries, Dr. Jose Loreto recalls the evolution of medical technology he’s seen throughout his career.
“I graduated 37 years ago,” he says. “And it’s improved. It’s much better.”
Miles from the popular tourist sites, Dr. Loreto practices medicine at Santa Martha Hospital in Rio de Janeiro. His specialty is bariatric surgical procedures using minimally invasive surgery (MIS) tools and video laproscopic equipment.
In other words, he’s conducting procedures that only require small incisions and utilize miniature cameras and high-tech video monitors.
“I remember the old days,” he chuckles. “We had to go from hospital to hospital and carry our own video sets to operate.”
Today, MIS is seen as the gold standard of care. For patients, it can reduce post-op pain and complications, and get people back on their feet faster. For hospitals, it may also offer lower costs and an ability to treat more patients. But in many emerging markets, adoption of this technology and expertise remains low.1
