Category: News

Hundreds of them wished to write their impressions in the Patient’s Book

2292 patients, hundreds of thanks to the team, some of them left in writing – this is the summary of the last one year of the Neurology Clinic at “Heart and Brain”, Pleven. “The most valuable evaluation of our work is that of our patients. We are grateful for their trust, for the words of gratitude that many of them have written in our Patient’s Book”, says the head of the clinic Prof. Plamen Bozhinov.

As soon as the clinic was established, its team decided to add a Patient’s Book for feedback, opinions and impressions to the mandatory medical documentation. The aim of prof. Bozhinov’s goal is to improve the details and achieve complete harmony in the daily work of the clinic through the patients’ feedback.

On one of the last pages, one of the popular and beloved Bulgarian actors – Aleksander Aleksiev, known to many as Doctor Vassilev from the TV series “Stolen Life”, left his gratitude.

You can read the news here.

Medical students, who are part of the team of the Clinic of Oncological and General Surgery of the high-tech Heart and Brain Center of Clinical Excellence in Pleven, had the opportunity to participate in a theoretical and practical course on “Knots tying in surgery – a basic surgical skill”. Those who successfully passed the training are Diana Krasimirova – fourth year student and her colleague Hristian Hristov – fifth year student. They received their certificates personally from prof. Toni Vekov – Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian Cardiac Institute and the Heart and Brain hospitals in Pleven and Burgas, who wished them success in their professional career and stressed that the Heart and Brain hospitals remain the main center for specialization of young doctors in Bulgaria.

The course for upgrading basic surgical skills at the hospital was the idea of prof. Tashko Delijski. “The initiative is in the spirit of the hospital’s policy for continuous training of students and doctors and upgrading their knowledge and skills. In this case, the aim is to acquire knowledge and skills in the very important surgical technique of knot tying. In every medical specialty related to surgery, this technique is used, said Prof. Delijski. He added: “Any physician interested in the knotting technique, especially those taking their initial steps in any of the surgical disciplines, will benefit greatly from a more thorough acquaintance with the theory and, in a training setting, with the practical side of this matter.”

Read the full article here.

The head of the department and leading specialist in orthopaedics and traumatology of Heart and Brain Hospital Burgas, Dr. Petyo Bratoev was elected President of the Bulgarian Association of Arthroscopy and Sports Traumatology (BAAST).

Recognition for his excellent work and dedication to his patients is reflected in the many letters commending his work as a specialist and the qualities of the team he leads.

The first robot-assisted surgery with the daVinci X system with four arms in the Burgas region took place in the high-tech hospital “Heart and Brain”. The head of the department of thoracic surgery – Assoc. Prof. Rumen Filipov, performed an upper right lung lobectomy, with lymph node dissection, on a 54-year-old female patient. The proctor was Assoc. Prof. Minchev, surgeon in the sterile field – Dr. Dimo Mitev, and anesthesiologist – Dr. Kaloyan Djunov.

The patient was diagnosed with lung cancer at a previous admission to the Heart and Brain Thoracic Surgery Unit. After clarification of the diagnosis, it turned out that a very large and complex operation was required. When such patients are operated on with a robot, the precision of the surgery is increased and recovery is extremely fast. The team chooses to apply the best method for the case and the surgery proceeds as planned. The patient feels well.

You can read the full news here.

“Politicians in power have one main task – to create a competitive investment and business environment and deal with the growth of the national economy. The self-esteem of any nation is a product of GDP per capita. Politicians should focus on this issue.” This is what Tihomir Kamenov, a specialist in public and private law, founder of the company group Commercial League, the only Bulgarian senior member of the World Economic Forum in Davos, told BNR. Read more here.

The Cardiac and Onco Team at the Heart and Brain Center of Clinical Excellence in Pleven, tested specific laboratory indicators for timely detection of cardiotoxicity. Modern and patient-friendly imaging tests such as echocardiography for the assessment of left ventricular pump function, stress echocardiography as well as determination of global longitudinal strain are applied. Through these examinations, cardiac damage from the administered chemotherapy can be captured even before the first clinical symptoms appear.

The hospital in Pleven is adamant that it is the regular follow-up during the course of drug and radiotherapy treatment and the inclusion of cardioprotective therapy (drugs that protect the heart) and/or reassessment of planned anti-tumour therapy that lead to better outcomes, increased survival and better quality of life among this group of patients. Good medical practice shows that teamwork between cardiologists and oncologists leads to better therapeutic outcomes and more successfully treated patients.

The new technique applied by the team of the Clinic of Orthopaedics and Traumatology headed by prof. Asparuh Asparuhov, guarantees longer joint life without subsequent revision. Both surgeries are elective and were performed as part of the first Esculap Academy of Orthopaedics with guest Dr. Günther Wasser, one of the pioneers in navigational knee arthroplasty. The interventions lasted nearly an hour and were performed by the clinic team with the participation of Dr. Wassmer. The same day, after coming out of anesthesia, the patients were up on their feet and rehabilitated.

The heart team of Heart and Brain Center of Clinical Excellence in Pleven performed for the hundredth time aortic valve replacement by a bloodless method, the hospital said. The innovative procedure was applied to an 83-year-old patient who trusted the multidisciplinary team of the following departments: invasive cardiology – Dr. Pavlin Pavlov and Dr. Denis Nikolov, cardiology – prof. Dr. Iana Simova, cardiac surgery and resuscitation – Dr. Yordan Krasnaliev and Dr. Yordan Kotlarov.

In the hospitals of the Bulgarian CardiacInstitute, this intervention is absolutely free of charge for the insured persons and the results are world-class, as the method ensures the wellbeing of patients. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is becoming the world standard for the treatment of high-risk patients.

The patient is feeling well, the medical institution in Pleven clarified.

You can read the full article here in Bulgarian.

“We do not expect to receive money for over-limit activity, at least not until September. This request was considered several times in February and March, and despite the availability of funds in the NHIF, the fulfilled medical services left uppaid,” said Prof. Vekov.

According to him, the main problem is that the National Fund has set some unrealistically low budgets for the hospitals. Monthly limits and the national health card are the two main instruments that hinder competition between hospitals, and therefore prevents the free choice of the patient and worsens the quality of healthcare in Bulgaria.

The full interview can be found here in Bulgarian.

 

 

The people of Burgas and the region were given the opportunity for robotic treatment, but they will have to pay for the surgeries

In the published protocol of the Supervisory Board of the NHIF from the meeting on 19 May 2022, became clear the illegal and incompetent manner in which the monthly and indicative values of the regional health funds for the new medical activities in hospital care for the period June – December 2022 were approved. The decisions taken and the allocated individual budgets per hospital are in serious violation of the Health Care Act and violate the fundamental values and rights of citizens in Bulgaria and the EU, the open letter says.

The full text is published here.