Srinagar, Mar 23: The department of Pulmonary Medicine, Government Medical College Srinagar today started the facility of laser to the armamentarium of interventional pulmonology, the first in Jammu and Kashmir.
Laser is an useful tool for an interventional pulmonologist. It is helpful in management of various respiratory diseases like central airway obstruction (Malignant or benign) and haemoptysis of varying aetiologies. Prior to this, large number of patients had to be referred to higher centres outside J&K UT for management of such respiratory diseases. The procedure was performed by experienced interventional pulmonologists headed by Professor Naveed Nazir Shah using ND-YAG Lumax 1320 nn laser with the support of an anaesthesia team headed by Professor Rukhsana Najeeb.
A total of two cases were performed today. First one was performed under general anaesthesia using rigid bronchoscopy and second one under conscious sedation using flexible bronchoscopy. Prof Naveed Nazir Shah said ‘We are highly thankful to Professor Samia Rashid principal GMC Srinagar and Medical Superintendent Dr Saleem Tak for their efforts in starting this facility’. He also said that addition of Laser will definitely improve the patient care and reduces the economic burden to the patient.