Patients at Yeovil Hospital have long been unable to receive certain eye surgeries under general anaesthesia at their local hospital. This changed with the recent opening of a state-of-the-art day theatre at Yeovil Hospital, marking a significant milestone in the hospital’s capabilities.
Paritosh Shah, a vitreoretinal surgeon, performed the first operation in the new theatre under general anaesthesia earlier this summer. Previously, patients needing general anaesthesia for eye surgery had to travel to Yeatman Hospital in Dorset. The transition to Yeovil Hospital for these procedures has been made possible through the collaborative efforts of various hospital teams.
Dr. Sanjay Arampatta, the lead ophthalmology anaesthetist at Yeovil Hospital, explained the history and significance of this development. “For many years, the ophthalmology unit was located at Yeatman Hospital, where we performed eye surgeries for East Somerset patients under local anaesthesia only, as the facilities there didn’t support general anaesthesia,” Dr. Arampatta said. “With the opening of our new day theatre at Yeovil Hospital last year, our ophthalmology team worked together to relocate all these procedures to Yeovil.”
The new day theatre at Yeovil is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, allowing the hospital to offer general anaesthesia for both front and back eye surgeries in suitable patients. Dr. Arampatta noted that the successful relocation and expansion of services required significant coordination with various teams within the hospital.
Paritosh Shah, a consultant ophthalmologist at Yeovil Hospital, expressed his excitement about the new capabilities. “For years, we have strived to provide the option of surgery under general anaesthesia for patients who struggle with local anaesthesia during eye procedures. I am thrilled that, thanks to the incredible support of the Yeovil anaesthesia team, we can now offer this option,” Shah said.
Currently, the hospital performs surgical procedures every three to four weeks on selected patients, with plans to increase the frequency over time to accommodate more patients. Mr. Shah emphasized the collective effort required to set up this new service and expressed his gratitude to everyone involved. “This is truly a landmark achievement for our ophthalmology service at Yeovil,” he added.
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