16/06/2026
|| Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation
๐ ๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐-๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐๐
On Friday 12, June 2026, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) through its Vascular Surgery Division in collaboration with the National Blood Transfusion Services (NBTS) marked a significant advancement in patient care with the first successful use of the Cell Saver system during the emergency repair of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in an 85-year-old woman.
When a person experiences a major internal bleed, every second matters. In many emergency surgeries, patients can lose large amounts of blood, creating an urgent need for transfusions to keep them alive.
The Cell Saver is a specialized technology that collects blood lost during surgery, cleans and processes it, and safely returns it to the patient. This means patients can receive their own blood back during critical procedures, reducing the need for donor blood, supporting faster resuscitation, and improving outcomes during life-threatening emergencies.
During this complex six-hour operation, the patient experienced blood loss of approximately four litres. The Cell Saver system successfully returned more than 500 millilitres of the patient's own blood, with a hematocrit of 82%, helping to support her recovery during a critical stage of the procedure.
While this achievement represents an important milestone in surgical innovation, at its heart is a patient whose life was threatened by a devastating vascular emergency. The successful outcome reflects the dedication, skill, and teamwork of the vascular surgery, anaesthesia, nursing, laboratory, and support teams who worked tirelessly to provide the highest standard of care.
Special recognition is extended to the National Blood Transfusion Services (NBTS) team for their invaluable support throughout the procedure, particularly Dr. Pedro Lewis, Medical Director of NBTS, Kevon Spencer, Quality Manager of the Blood Bank, and Radha Ramdhari, Recruitment Officer of the Blood Bank. Their expertise, and presence throughout the six-hour operation played an important role in supporting the successful outcome of this landmark procedure.
This milestone demonstrates GPHC's continued commitment to introducing modern medical technologies that improve patient care, strengthen emergency surgical services, and bring world-class treatment closer to home for the people of Guyana. Together, we continue to advance healthcare and save lives.
