World class surgeon boosts heart ops
The meticulous approach taken by heart surgeon Adam El Gamal has seen Waikato Hospital dramatically increase its heart operations.
The brilliance of a world class surgeon has pushed up the number of heart operations and kept waiting times at a record low in Waikato Hospital’s cardiac surgical unit.
Figures released publicly for the first time by the Waikato District Health Board show an impressive 57 per cent increase in the number of heart surgeries last year.
When clinical director Adam El Gamal took charge of the cardiac service in February 2010 the number of surgeries the previous year was 392.
That number jumped to 617 cardiac operations in Mr El Gamal’s first year with the Waikato Cardiothoracic Unit.
Mr El Gamal puts much of the improvement down to detailed preparation.
“There is a big difference between being meticulous and just being very slow,” he said.
“It’s a matter of constantly prioritising and trying to have the necessary work done before a patient even gets to the hospital.”
Board project manager Diane Penney said Mr El Gamal had a “second to none” work ethic.
“He works fast, he’s very accurate, and his clinical outcomes are great. He’s good at organising his time to fit more patients into his daily routine,” she said.
“He is incredibly patient-focused, which can’t be said about everyone.”
Mr El Gamal was quick to give credit back to Diane Penney.
“She did over two years of researching and planning before I came here, which made kick-starting changes much easier.”
Mr El Gamal has also developed bloodless cardiac surgery for Jehovah’s Witnesses, which he hopes will eventually turn into standard practice.
“If we can do a bloodless surgery for religious reasons, I don’t see why it can’t be done routinely to reduce risk to all patients and save on resources,” he said.
Bloodless surgery minimises blood loss from a patient during surgery, eliminating the need for blood transfusions.
Mr El Gamal is one of the world’s top cardiac surgeons and moved from Britain in 2010 to take the position at Waikato Hospital as cardiac clinical director.
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