Broken Collarbone....

[thirdman]

Ive just been told i need an operation to fix my collarbone. Im in Hanoi and have been told the cost will be $2500. I was thinking of flying to Bangkok in order to get cheaper medical care so was wondering if anyone had a similar experience or knew the prices of treatment in Thailand.....

Many thanks in advance....

Edited December 19, 2008 by thirdman

[FBN]

This is not an operation that should be performed in Hanoi.

Fractured clavicles only rarely requires surgical intervention and the indications are usually severe shortening of the clavicle after healing (which may lead to early osteo-arthrosis of the shoulder joint) or, only in extreme cases, if there is a severe cosmetic deformity.

The major blood vessels to the arm runs immediately below the clavicle and this operation is not without risk.

I would recommend an opinion from an appropriate orthopedic consultant at a hospital like Bumrungrad here in BKK.

[thirdman]

This is not an operation that should be performed in Hanoi.

Fractured clavicles only rarely requires surgical intervention and the indications are usually severe shortening of the clavicle after healing (which may lead to early osteo-arthrosis of the shoulder joint) or, only in extreme cases, if there is a severe cosmetic deformity.

The major blood vessels to the arm runs immediately below the clavicle and this operation is not without risk.

I would recommend an opinion from an appropriate orthopedic consultant at a hospital like Bumrungrad here in BKK.

The french hospital is very good here tho(but very expensive) and i saw the french orthopedic consultant who told me it required surgery after the second xray. Im inclined to trust his opinion....

Im just looking at ideas of prices for the procedure really....

[Groongthep]

Agree with Mod FBN. I have broken my collarbone twice in my lifetime (once on each side) and both times the doctors told me no need for any operation. The fractures were painful until they completely healed, which took a couple of months though. Both times the fractures healed up fine without any surgery. I suspect the doctors you spoke with may be making the recomendation for surgery in hopes of making some extra money off the foreigner. $2500.00 sounds like a lot. I do not pretend to be a doctor however and your case may indeed be different than mine and your collarbone may very well need to be set. I would recommend flying to BKK and getting it checked out by a specialist at Bamrungrad (Phone: 66 (0) 2667-1555). Good luck.

Edited December 20, 2008 by Groongthep

[thirdman]

Oh and it seems like the break when mended would seriously shorten the bone as the two ends are at as near 90 degree angle now. I did it in a motorbike accident at 70 km/h.....

[dumball]

My son broke a collarbone racing 'Moto-cross' , we took him immediatly to the hospital where a doctor was in attendance who obviosly knew what he was doing . X-rays were taken , a brace was positioned between the shoulders across his back , this pulled the bone ends apart until they could be replaced in alignement , more x-rays , when the doctor was satisfied , he was wrapped in bandages from the arm pit on the broken side , up over the opposite shoulder , 2 days later more x-rays . the doctor told us the bone ends had stayed in place and started to heal . My son was back racing 3 weeks after the break with no lumps or bumps visable , the doctor said this was possible because of his exellent physical fitness and bodily health .

[Sheryl]

Costs of medical care and surgical procedures are almost always higher in Thailand than in Viet Nam.

'Thats the bad news.

The good news is that it is quite likely you do not need surgery, and the costs of a consultation with a good orthopedic specialist in Thailand to determine that are reasonable. Maybe 1000 baht (around $35) and perhaops another 1-2,000 if they need to apply a splint or brace.

Bring your X-rays etc with you to avoid the expense of unnecessary repeat tests.

If for some reason surgery is actually indicated, as FBN said, bad idea to undergo it in VN. Also bad idea to try to get it done as cheaply as possible...you may end up with permanent dmage or complications that cost far more to treat than going with a more qualified surgeon would have cost in the first place.

[thirdman]

Costs of medical care and surgical procedures are almost always higher in Thailand than in Viet Nam.

'Thats the bad news.

The good news is that it is quite likely you do not need surgery, and the costs of a consultation with a good orthopedic specialist in Thailand to determine that are reasonable. Maybe 1000 baht (around $35) and perhaops another 1-2,000 if they need to apply a splint or brace.

Bring your X-rays etc with you to avoid the expense of unnecessary repeat tests.

If for some reason surgery is actually indicated, as FBN said, bad idea to undergo it in VN. Also bad idea to try to get it done as cheaply as possible...you may end up with permanent dmage or complications that cost far more to treat than going with a more qualified surgeon would have cost in the first place.

Well my consultation cost $110 and i am assured that the expenses will be much cheaper in Thailand. The french hospital is very good in Hanoi and i have no problem with using them, just trying to get ab idea for prices for surgery. Obviously i know that surgery is rare, but i have a rare case. I have emailed the xray to my uncle who is a doctor and he agrees....i appreciate the advice but i know what i need to do...

[Hairy]

Oh and it seems like the break when mended would seriously shorten the bone as the two ends are at as near 90 degree angle now. I did it in a motorbike accident at 70 km/h.....

For those of you who keep replying that collarbones usually heal without surgery, read and re-read the above. If the bones have been thrown way out of alignment, surgery is necessary to realign and pin the bone together.

I didn't need the surgery (so I can't talk about costs), since my broken clavicle still had its broken ends aligned, so they healed together on their own. I saw the X-ray of another guy, in the office just before me (not at Bumrungrad, this was the place I fled to Bumrungrad to escape from), who was headed for surgery with a seriously splintered mess in his shoulder. . . .

If you can call Bumrungrad, you might be able to get an estimate. It would be better if you could get past their frontline staff (whose English is so poor that I have never been able to get a useful or accurate response from them) and talk to a physician there. They also do email, but your odds of getting anything beyond a "we have set up an appointment for you" reply is almost zero.

[Sheryl]

Obviously i know that surgery is rare, but i have a rare case. I have emailed the xray to my uncle who is a doctor and he agrees....i appreciate the advice but i know what i need to do...

Sorry, I did not see the earlier post about the fracture being old and the bones severely shortened.

I do not know about costs of this specific procedure but from what I know of costs of surgery in general, you are unlikely to save money by having it done at the higher end international hosps like Biumrungrad, Samitivej etc here taking into account airfare etc as well.

However unlike VN there are mid-raznge options that still provide acceptable care. I suggest you email St Louis hospital which is a non-profit and ask if (1) they can do it and (2) about what it would cost. Be sure when you email that you give all the details inclusing date of the fracture and why surgery has been recommended. if you have an Xray report or consultation report in English that you can attach, that will help. Or better yet attach the email of the Xray (not sure how you managed to scan that but apparently you did!)

The English speaking at St Louis is not the best but it is better than it would be in a Thai government hospital and the doctor will probably speak well enough. I have been an inpatient there myself and with a bit of patience/humor and a basic Thai vocabulary of phrasebook it is quite manageable. The care is no frills but acceptable in quality both with regard to medical and nursing care. The hospital's main limitation from my point of wiew is that they have a limited range of doctors to choose from (often just one for a given specialty and not all specialties covered), which makes it not a viable choice for anything highly specialized. They will certainly have an orthopedic surgeon, it would help to know if that is adequate or if someone with an additional sub-specialty is required. Perhaps ask your uncle since he has seen the film, or ask the surgeon you previously consulted. If they think that it can be done by any competent orthopedic surgeon then St Louis should be OK.

The hospital offers a range of rooms including 4 bed ward rooms which are much less expensive than the private/semi-private.

The Bangkok Christian Hospital is another non-profit which costs about the same as St Louis but English speaking is vastly less and I woubt you'll get far with emails. I have been successful in the past in getting price quotes by email from St Louis.

I don't have the website offhand but you can easily find it through google.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.