'Scopes' get airmen quickly back on track

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Ben Silva
  • 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  Wilford Hall Medical Center surgeons are getting basic military trainees back into training faster with the help of laparoscopy.

Surgical recoveries, which used to require four to six weeks, can now take as little as one to two weeks, according to medical officials.

One recent case typified the benefits laparoscopic procedures give not only the patient, but also the Air Force.

A basic trainee with appendicitis sought medical treatment. Doctors determined a laparoscopic appendectomy to remove the patient's appendix would be the best course of action. An appendix can be removed either laparoscopically or through a standard appendectomy by making a larger incision in the abdomen.

The procedure was a success and doctors anticipate the trainee will be back on duty in two weeks rather than six weeks of recovery time had they performed a traditional surgery.

"Had the patient gone through an open appendectomy his recovery time would be a lot longer," said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Kevin Watkins, chief of surgical oncology. "With laparoscopic appendectomies, we are able to do most of the work in the inside of the patient without actually pulling things out through the abdominal wall. By doing this we are able to get the patient back to training a lot quicker.

"With open appendectomies, surgeons tend do a lot of retraction and pulling on the abdominal wall, so surgeons actually pull on the muscles more and consequently you bruise the muscles more," he said.

Surgeons at Wilford Hall Medical Center conduct about 200 appendectomies a year. Roughly 50 to 60 of those cases belong to basic trainees.

"The difference in recovery time lies in the fact that with laparoscopic procedures smaller incisions are used including a camera and a telescope rather than the standard larger incisions," Dr. Watkins said. "In this case, we are able to get (the trainee) back to training with full activities in two weeks instead of six.

"In most cases, we are able to get (trainees) back to training within one week, but every case is different,” he said. “Had the patient gone through the standard procedure, he probably would have been sent home and then later recycled back to training at a later date."

Laparoscopic procedures can be used to examine abdominal organs or diagnose problems such as cysts, adhesions and infections. Despite their advantages, laparoscopic procedures remain somewhat controversial. Such procedures entail more instrumentation, which, in turn, cost more than open appendectomies.

"When you think about the long-term cost for the Air Force, you're actually saving money, because you get people back into the workforce or back into their normal training pattern in a shorter period of time," Dr. Watkins said. (Courtesy of Air Education and Training Command News Service)