From the Archives! 2005 article about Gallbladder surgery in Gibraltar.

Keyhole gallbladder surgery in Gibraltar

The Gibraltar Health Authority says that as another further step in the expansion and improvement of the Healthcare Services. Four Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Procedures (Keyhole surgery to remove the gallbladder) were performed in Gibraltar this past week. The GHA?s Surgical Team, was led by Mr David Deardon who was recently recruited second Consultant General Surgeon, and who completed the first four Laparoscopic Cholecystectomies successfully on 15th September at St Bernards Hospital. The following day all patients were well and mobilised with a view to discharge from hospital within a further 24 hours. The patients ranged in age from 12 to 36 years of age. ?It had been impossible to perform keyhole surgery locally in the old St Bernard?s due to the absence of the necessary equipment and expertise but all that has now changed," says the GHA. They add: "The second Consultant General Surgeon recently employed by the GHA has the training, medical skills and experience to carry out keyhole surgery and this, together with the recent acquisition by the GHA of the necessary equipment has made this major breakthrough possible. In the past when such operations were carried out in Gibraltar by traditional methods patients were usually required to spend an extended period of time of many days as an inpatient before being discharged. Full recovery would take several weeks." "As from now, when such operations are carried out using keyhole surgery, it will mean that the patient can normally expect to be up and about the day after surgery and to leave Hospital some 24 hours later. It will also mean that patients will no longer need to travel away from Gibraltar to have such operations done elsewhere and thus avoid all the inconvenience and expense to patients and their families that this entails," says the GHA.