Singapore First in Asia to Launch Revolutionary Pre-Natal Screening Tests for Genetic Abnormalities

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A new way to diagnose abnormalities in unborn babies promises to be faster and cheaper than conventional tests. The DNA-based QF-PCR (Quantitative Fluorescent-Polymerase Chain Reaction) method slashes the wait for test results from 14 days to two.

Singapore The First in The Region to Offer Key-Hole Surgery for Slipped Discs

The keyhole surgery offered by a healthcare provider in Singapore meant only a small 0.5 cm V r incision is made compared with a 5 cm cut along the backbone in the conventional method. Recovery time is much faster - one week - compared with two months for the current method. There is also less pain and less risk of nerve injury. The patient can return home within the same day of the operation. The keyhole operation also costs much less than the conventional one because patients do not need to stay in the hospital.

Singapore Eye Doctor First in Region to Use New Technique

In 2002, a Singapore surgeon has become the first doctor in South-east Asia to use a new technology in eye operations. At the heart of this breakthrough are tiny plastic devices, called 'trocars', that help surgeons access the inside and back of the eye easier, causing less trauma to the patient. The patients generally recovered better, with less irritation to the eye, with the new technique. And because these trocars and their puncture wounds are so small, the wounds heal by themselves, without the need for stitches. Generally, it means less time in the operating theatre, and cost savings to both the patients and the hospital.

Singapore Scores World First for Cancer Treatment

In 2002 doctors here used blood from umbilical cords to cure two cancer patients, without first destroying their bone marrow with chemotherapy. Their success is a world first. One of the two had leukaemia, or cancer of the blood; the other, an Indonesian patient, had myeloma, or cancer of the bone marrow. Both had undergone conventional treatments before, but suffered relapses.

First Patient in South-East Asia to have an Electric Heart

In 2000, Singapore doctors carried out South-East Asia's first heart transplant using an Electronic Heart Assist (Left Ventricular Assist Device) on a 36-yearold patient suffering from severely impaired heart function. This FDA-approved heart assist device gives critically ill patients new hope while waiting for a suitable heart to be available.

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