Donation brings new treatment for enlarged prostate

Wednesday 22 November 2023: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) today thanks the Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Foundation for facilitating the donation of $52,500 from The Argus Group to purchase a GreenLight XPS. This equipment will bring the latest laser treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia, more commonly called prostate gland enlargement, to Bermuda.

GreenLight’s laser technology* offers patients better outcomes compared to traditional surgery, with reduced hospital stays, fewer complications and faster recovery. Over 100 local men are expected to benefit each year. Currently, patients who require surgical intervention for an enlarged prostate only have a traditional surgical option available on the island.

The new treatment is expected to begin in January, once the required power upgrades to the operating rooms are complete and BHB nurses and theatre practitioners have been trained.

BHB Consultant Urologist Dr Jonathan Makanjuola comments: “We are so grateful for this wonderful donation from The Argus Group through the Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Foundation. This is a fantastic development for our local urology service.

“Forty percent of the patients we see in the BHB Urology Department have an enlarged prostate, which can be extremely troublesome to patients. If medications become ineffective, surgery is really the only option.

“The great news for men undergoing the GreenLight procedure is that it’s as effective as traditional, transurethral resection of the prostate, what we commonly refer to as TURP surgery, but it also brings many other benefits. Men experience less time in surgery, fewer days using a catheter, shorter post-operative recovery, and fewer complications, and 95% of cases can be done as an outpatient. This is three times higher than the traditional surgery option, where only 32% of patients can be discharged the same day. Sexual function is also less likely to be impacted.

“As it’s a shorter procedure that doesn’t require a hospital bed, we also expect that more of these surgeries can be undertaken. This should help us reduce wait times, which are currently at about six to eight weeks.”

The GreenLight treatment is already recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK and is available in other countries, such as the US, Canada and Europe.

BHB Chief of Staff Dr Wesley Miller comments: “On behalf of BHB, thank you to the Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Foundation and The Argus Group. This new treatment will offer an improved experience and outcome for men with an enlarged prostate compared to traditional surgery. It also reduces pressure on hospital beds and so is less costly to the healthcare system. In addition, the procedure is much less likely to be postponed if there are bed capacity issues.

“We are very grateful for the donation, which helps us provide a better quality, safer and less costly service.”

Kim Pratt, executive director of the Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Foundation, comments: “We are so happy to be able to facilitate this generous donation from The Argus Group to BHB for a service that is going to make a big difference to over 100 men each year. This speaks to our vision to support BHB in enhancing health and healthcare services in Bermuda.

“Thanks to Argus’ generous donation we now only need $17,500 to completely fund the new equipment. If you would like to make a donation please email kim.pratt@bhcf.bm or visit Donate Now (bhcf.bm) to make a donation online.  Please reference that the donation is for GreenLight.”

Argus Americas Chief Executive Peter Lozier comments: “With the alarming rate of prostate cancer and benign prostate enlargement in Bermuda and its profound implications on the lives of our male population, it’s imperative that we champion technology that provides timely treatment for these conditions.

“The introduction of the Greenlight Laser XPS system marks improvement in surgical care. Through this contribution, we are facilitating quicker treatment and recovery, reducing healthcare costs, shortening hospital stays and, most importantly, saving lives.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

*GreenLight works by using a laser to vaporise excess prostate tissue, rather than cutting away the tissue as is done in the traditional surgery called transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). The procedure allows rapid tissue vaporisation, resulting in a faster procedure with less bleeding and associated complications.

Clinical evidence shows that GreenLight is as effective at treating an enlarged prostate as TURP and has many benefits to patient experiences and outcomes over the older surgical procedure. Benefits to patients include:

• 95% of cases can be completed as outpatient procedures, compared to one or two days in hospital after TURP
• Faster recovery with less pain and discomfort and a quicker return to normal activities
• Fewer catheterisation days
• Reduced bleeding. The laser coagulates blood vessels, minimising the risk of bleeding and reducing the need for blood transfusions. (The need for blood transfusions in the traditional TURP procedure is six times higher than for the GreenLight procedure.)
• Suitable for patients on anticoagulant medications
• Sexual function more likely to be maintained after GreenLight procedure
• Lower risk of TURP syndrome, when excessive fluid absorption during the procedure leads to electrolyte imbalance

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