Placing Greece at the center of medical innovation with unique medical breakthroughs
At Hygeia we carried out for the first time in Greece:
- Procedure on a patient with endometrial cancer using the latest generation da Vinci Xi robotic system.
- Nephron-sparing renal tumor removal using the da Vinci Xi robotic system with integrated Firefly Technology.
- Surgical procedure for debulking of ovarian cancer using the da Vinci Xi robotic system.
- Heart transplantation.
- Prostate cancer radioactive seed implantation.
- Successful separation of Siamese twins in 1989.
At Metropolitan Hospital we carried out for the first time in Greece:
- Robotic hip and knee replacement procedures using the Mako system. More than 1,000 procedures have been performed in the first five years the system has been in use.
- Pressurized IntraPeritoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy (PIPAC) procedures by Capnomed.
- Robotic assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) using the da Vinci Xi robotic system.
- Robotic lobectomy of the lung.
- Robotic abdominal hernia repair
- Medical 3D printing, designing a procedure with millimeter precision on a model that has the features of the specific health problem and patient.
At Mitera we carried out for the first time in Greece:
- Innovative continuous voice monitoring technique during thyroid surgery on a child.
- New breast reconstruction method with pre-pectoral implant placement.
- Breakthrough heart valve placement without open surgery at Mitera Children’s Hospital.
- Establishment of an Oncology Center for children and adolescents, and the first Cancel Survivors Clinic in Greece.
- Operation of a new Endogenous Metabolic Diseases & Inherited Lipid Disorders Department at Mitera Children’s Hospital, the first in the private sector in Greece.
- Creation of a 15-bed Hemodialysis Unit for patients with chronic kidney disease.
At Metropolitan General we carried out for the first time in Greece:
- Groundbreaking postoperative abdominal hernia repair using the da Vinci Xi robotic system and the eTEP-RS (enhanced-view totally extraperitoneal) technique.
- Vascular procedure in the deep vein system of the lower limbs to repair chronic obstruction of the femoral and iliac veins.
- Minimally invasive hip and knee replacement procedure using the Navio robotic system.
- Plastic surgery procedure using the first Automatic Cell Station system worldwide, which separates stem cells and enriches them with fat during the procedure in the operating room, rather than at a lab.
At Leto we carried out for the first time in Greece:
- First water birth in Greece in 1999 in a specially designed pool, without medications, ensuring conditions of absolute safety for the mother and the newborn. More than 200 water births have been performed at Leto since then.
- “Childbirth as if Being at Home” alternative childbirth technique introduced in 2010, in the comfort of pleasant surroundings, which do not in any way resemble a medical institution, guaranteeing the safety offered by a contemporary maternity hospital, while giving women the chance to share the experience of childbirth with their loved ones.
- Revolutionary kangaroo care method introduced in 2012 in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, practicing skin-to-skin contact between baby and parents, even for preterm babies or neonates being hospitalized in the Unit.
- Establishment of the first IVF unit within a maternity hospital.
- Regular hosting of laparoscopy seminars in four rooms equipped with the latest technology for new and experienced doctors, passing on our technical know-how as one of the best laparoscopy centers.
At Creta InterClinic we carried out for the first time in Greece:
- Operate a Cardiac Surgery Department
- Perform Laparoscopic Nephrectomy, Laparoscopic Incisional Hernia repair, Laparoscopic subtotal colectomy for colon Ca, Laparoscopic Low Anterior Colon resection for Ca, laparoscopic complete colectomy for constipation, Laparoscopic ventral mesh rectocolpopexy:
- Obstructed defaecation
- Complete rectal prolapse
- Rectal surgeries such as laser ablation of pilonidal cyst, anal fistula laser surgery with: FILAC or LIFT (Ligation of Interficteric Fistula Tract)
- Laparoscopic surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia (250cc)
- Penile reconstructive surgery with prosthesis implants
- Prostate artery embolization
Surgeries performed for the first time in Crete (private sector)
- Nissen Fundoplication for GERD –and Hiatal Hernia
- Heller myotomy with Dor Fundoplication for the treatment of esophageal achalasia
- Longitudinal gastrectomy for the treatment of morbid obesity
- Gastric Bypass for the treatment of morbid obesity
- Angioplasty of chronic total occlusions (CTOs)
- Angioplasty of the left main artery
- Angioplasty of bifurcation lesions
- Pericardiocentesis
- Percutaneous renal cysts decortication
- Chemo embolism liver lesions
- Nephrourethral stent insertion
- Percutaneous retrograde uretereral stent insertion
- Percutaneous nephrostomy
- Percutaneous cholecystectomy
- EVAR (endovascular aneurysm repair)
At Apollonion Private Hospital we carried out for the first time in Cyprus:
- The first successful implantation of the Evolut pro + (Medtronic) bioprosthetic valve in Cyprus with the TAVI ("valve in valve") technique in an unoperated 78-year-old patient, with a history of previous bypass surgery and aortic valve replacement and with peripheral arteriopathy, who was judged by our hospital's heart team as a patient of prohibitive risk for reoperation.
- First implantation in Cyprus of an Optimizer® Smart (Impulse Dynamics®) device in our young patient with heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy.
- First transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation in Cyprus in a young patient with congenital heart disease (tetralogy of Fallot). The successful outcome of the operation is a tangible proof of the possibilities and a guarantee for the potential of the catheterization department of our hospital in the treatment of structural heart diseases.
- Endoscopic Brain and Pituitary Gland Surgery with robotic neuronavigation. A model endoscopic neurosurgery unit has been set up in our hospital, which has so far dealt with numerous cases of pituitary tumors and other brain tumors without external incisions through the patient's nose,
- The "Cardiac Innovation Center Pediatric & Adult Cardiac Surgery" within the first 20 months of its operation has performed more than 450 major heart operations covering the largest range of pediatric and adult cardiac surgery with excellent results.
- The "Cardiac Innovation Center" is a pioneer in Cyprus in the field of congenital heart defects surgery and is the only center that provides this type of care on the island. Heart operations on children as well as adults with congenital heart defects have become routine in Cyprus as well. In collaboration with renowned colleagues from abroad, collaborating with GeSY, a wide range of interventional pediatric cardiology and electrophysiology is also covered. A number of pioneering for Cyprus surgeries have been carried out such as:
- Correction of tetralogy of Fallot
- DORV Corrective Surgery
- AV Canal Corrective Surgery
- Aortic Isthmus Stenosis Corrective Surgery
- Convergence of the Sinus Venosus Defect with anomalous protrusion of the pulmonary veins
- Minimally invasive atrial defect convergence both on younger children (partial sternotomy) and on older children or adults (right minithoracotomy)
- Pulmonary valve replacement
- Pulmonary valve dilatation on infants (Balloon dilatation or surgical commissurotomy)
- The "Cardiac Innovation Center" has also shown excellent results in cardiac surgery for acquired heart conditions, which is the largest group of patients.
- Minimally invasive cardiac surgery of the mitral and tricuspid valves (without opening the sternum, through a small incision between the ribs) has become routine at our center.
- Our center was the first in Cyprus to perform aortic valve repair surgeries using the David and Yacoub method.
- Furthermore, our center recorded excellent results in Bypass operations having 0% mortality in the first 100 patients with this surgery. The results are also excellent in secondary risk factors such as infection, stroke, renal failure with very low complication rates.
- Operations with the innovative Da Vinci® Xi Robotic Surgery system which is the most advanced technological achievement in robotic surgery worldwide. It allows surgical operations to be performed with high precision with significantly high success rates even in difficult operations.
At Aretaeio we carried out for the first time in Greece:
- The first ever implantation of its kind - in Cyprus and the Middle East - of the revolutionary E-nside TAAA graft (JOTEC GmbH a fully owned subsidiary of CryoLife, Inc.) for endovascular thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair was performed at Aretaeio Hospital by a group of the Hospital’s leading Doctors.
- A groundbreaking clinical research study titled "NEUROSA-MS" is conducted by Dr. Michalis Protopapas, a Neurologist of the Hospital, and his team, in collaboration with the neurological clinic of the Johannes Guttenberg University Hospital of Mainz in Germany. The purpose of this study is to identify indicators for monitoring multiple sclerosis in Cypriot patients.
- Aretaeio Hospital together with the Cyprus Research & Innovation Centre (CyRIC) were partners in the ‘CHERRIES’ project which successfully represented Cyprus in 1 of the 3 pilot programs conducted in the field of Responsible Research and Innovation in the Health care sector, at a European level. Through the successful completion and implementation of the pilot, the challenge for the ‘Provision of medical services to the Cypriot citizens that live in rural and remote areas’, was addressed.
- The creation of the ‘Cardiac Alliance’, the first alliance for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, which are considered the main cause of death worldwide, was announced by Aretaeio Hospital, Novartis Pharmaceutical Company Cyprus and the Biolysis Research Center of the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK). The vision of the Cardiac Alliance is the promotion and support for a National Strategy dealing with cardiovascular diseases which will prioritise the setting of a required framework to reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes in Cyprus.
- The E-HCert application is here to help organize and properly flow the information of the hospital and laboratory system to send this data to the real beneficiary who is the patient and his doctor. E-HCert makes full use of the capabilities of the VeChain Blockchain, so that there is full confidentiality, protection, and validity of the patient's medical data. E-HCert is an application that enables the user to digitally access his medical records at any time so that he can better understand his state of health. The E-HCert application also provides certificates for routine check-up analyses, vaccination certificates, as well as diagnostics from Medical Centers, such as the Radiology department and the First Aid department.
- Maya MD is an artificial intelligence application that provides patients with two basic services related to their "patient journey":
- Pre-surgical preparation and post-surgical monitoring.
- Symptom checking and arrangements of appointments with the appropriate doctor.
- The user can use Maya to receive a diagnosis and be referred to the competent doctor for arranging an appointment, after registering his symptoms inside the application. In addition, another innovative feature of this application is the possibility it provides for pre-surgical preparation, through live video and daily checklist, while postoperative instructions are provided both for the discharge from the Hospital, as well as for home care and monitoring of the patient's health.
- The "Patient Experience" acquires a completely new meaning with the use of blockchain technology E-HCert – Vechain and the Artificial Intelligence MayaMD-AI that are now both, the core for the development of a new and secure Centralized Electronic Medical Record. Aretaeio Hospital, a long-time pioneer in equipment and technology, now integrates Digital Health Innovation into the core of the Organization and is considered a key player in this revolution in the Digital Health Innovation field.