In
Pursuit of Research Excellence
ENT Research - The road of discovery
towards better treatment
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| Cover Story | Medical Focus | Caring for our Patients | |||
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In
Pursuit of Research Excellence |
Triumph against the Odds - A neurosurgery success story | ||||
| Caring for the Community | What's on at CGH | ||
| Switch
Off the Light Community Dialogue 2002 |
Continuing
Medical Education: Paediatric Dermatology |
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In Pursuit of Research Excellence
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In line with Singapore's efforts to promote life sciences research and development, CGH has launched its new research laboratory to enable more medical and research staff to engage in research activities. The research lab was officially launched by Mr T K Udairam, Chief Executive Officer, and Professor Fock Kwong Ming, Chairman (Medical Board) at an opening ceremony on 29 January 2002. The old research lab has a floor area of 150 m2 and the new research lab annex has added another 28.7 m2. The renovation and expansion of the research facilities located at Basement One started in October 2001 and completed in December 2001. A small group of doctors in CGH has been doing research in collaboration with other local and international centres.
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Their efforts have been recognised and their works published in various international journals. Through clinical research, CGH is committed to find new approaches for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases to benefit our patients. Expanding the research lab is an indication of our commitment towards enhancing clinical research quality. The new lab will enable more doctors to translate scientific discoveries into better care for patients," said Professor Fock Kwong Ming, Chairman of Medical Board, CGH. The Medical Education Review Expert Panel led by Lord Oxburgh of the University of Cambridge has also recognised the need for more clinical research by making recommendations to allocate more time for doctors to do research and an increase in the pool of doctors-researchers in Singapore. The hospital also plans to form future alliances with local or overseas like-minded organisations to undertake research in CGH.
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ENT Research - The road of discovery
towards better treatment
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Mr Mohd Salleh Bin Laily, 51, has a history of loud snoring, daytime tiredness and recurrent sore throat. Despite that, Mr Mohd never suspected that something may be wrong until he was rejected by the National Blood Centre (NBC) during one of his regular blood donation trips when he had a very bad sore throat. After getting a referral from the polyclinic, Mr Mohd came to CGH for his first appointment with the ENT Department on 27 June 2001. He was seen by Dr Peter Lu, Head and Senior Consultant, ENT Department who advised him to go for an Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) sleep study. People with OSA stop breathing for 10 seconds or more
while sleeping and this affects 4-6 per cent or more of the population.
Sufferers of OSA complain of disrupted sleep and tiredness. The results
of the sleep study showed that Mr Mohd's oxygen levels were very low and
irregular and he stopped breathing many times within one hour. OSA causes
increased incidence of hypertension, heart attacks, strokes, heart and
lung failure, and mortality.
"I would choke and vomit at the same time which wakes me up. I do not get good rest so I am very tired and sleepy in the morning. This affects my job as I do quality checks on printing samples and I need to be alert," said Mr Mohd. Dr Hsu Pon Poh, ENT Surgeon, recommended Mr Mohd to undergo operation, because he is not keen on conservative treatment like using a CPAP (Continuous positive airway pressure) machine, as Mr Mohd's quality of life has been affected. But, first Dr Hsu needed to determine the degree of Mr Mohd's airway obstruction. Dr Hsu used an innovative computer imaging tool developed by Dr Hsu himself, to measure the upper airways to determine the extent of obstruction accurately. It was the first time an ENT surgeon has used a quantitative method of measuring airway obstruction. Formerly, ENT surgeons could only make eyeball estimations of the degree of obstruction and this was not very effective. |
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Dr Hsu said, "Through the computer assisted videoendoscopic analysis, the exact dimensions of Mr Mohd's airway obstruction was mapped out before the operation. The computer imaging also enables surgeons to determine post-operative improvements which relieve the obstruction." |
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Dr Hsu has won the Young Surgeon's Award 2001 at the 13th Biennial Congress of Asian Surgical Association and 35th Annual Combined Surgical Meeting as well as the Young Investigator's Award by the Academy of Medicine of Malaysia & Singapore for his innovative research. In this case, the visual evaluation also helped Mr Mohd make up his mind to go for the operation. "At first, I was reluctant to do the operation but Dr Hsu did the scope and showed me how much my airway was blocked on the monitor," said Mr Mohd. These images were subsequently analysed by computer. Explaining the benefits of the new research tool, Dr Hsu said, "Through the computer assisted videoendoscopic analysis, the exact dimensions of Mr Mohd's airway obstruction was mapped out before the operation. The computer imaging also enables surgeons to determine post-operative improvements which relieve the obstruction." "Last time, my wife noticed that I snore very loudly
all the time. After the operation, there was no more snoring and I sleep
very soundly. The doctors did the operation very well. All the staff treated me very well even during the ward stay," said a jubilant Mr Mohd three months after the operation. Since 2001, Dr Hsu's videoendoscopic analysis has benefited 45 patients including Mr Mohd for upper airway assessment. |
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