Orthopedic Hand Specialist at Bumrungrad Hospital

[framesolution]

I was recently diagnosed with a tumor in one of my fingers. I have seen 3 orthopedics in Bangkok and sent the xray and CT scan to a highly respected hand surgeon in the U.S. They all believe it is benign. But the only 100% way to know for certain is to remove it since biopsy is not an option due to the fact that the sample tissue able to be extracted from the finger would be too small to determine a definitive diagnosis. So I am considering surgery.

Has anyone on this forum:

1. Ever had any type of surgical procedure done by either Dr. Sumroeng Neti or Dr. Apichat Asavamongkolkul? Both are orthopedic doctors at Bumrungrad. Dr. Sumroeng is a spine and hand specialist and Dr. Apichat specializes in orthopedic oncology. Both have done fellowships at UCLA. I would be curious if the surgery went well and if the results were what was expected.

2. Ever had any type of surgery at Bumrungrad Hospital?

I'm a little nervous about having surgery in Thailand. Cost is not an issue as my Thai insurance carrier is covering it. Any feedback about these two doctors and Bumrungrad is appreciated.

Thanks!

[Sheryl]

Many, many people have had surgery in Thailand.

It really all depends on the skill of the surgeon.

Given the delicacy of the hand, I think it is important to have it done by a hand specialist...especially in Thailand where medical practice is ultra-specialized

I have no firsthand (or even second hand) knowledge of Dr. Sumroeng Neti but he looks well qualified.

I can give first hand recommendation for the following doctor who specializes exclsively in hand and microsurgery:

Prof. Panupan Songcharoen

He heads up the microsurgery department at the country's leading hospital/medical school (Siriraj/Mahidol). Both my sister and I had surgery with him (twice in her case, for different problems - trigger finger and carpal tunnel) and were very happy with him and the result.

He is not at Bumrungrad, though. You can access him on a private basis either through:

Phyathai 2 Hospital http://www.phyathai.com/hospitalservice/4/en or

Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital (a private hospital attached to Siriraj) http://www.siphhospital.com/en/index.html

All else being equal and if you don't mind being a little further out of town (Siriraj is on the Thonburi side of the river), I would recommend the second location over the first, although nothing wrong with having it done at Phyathai

[framesolution]

Thanks for the reply Sheryl, very much appreciated. May I ask regarding you and your sister's surgery if you two were awake, completely asleep, or had twilight? Are the facilities (OR) at Siriraj clean and modern? Did you feel the competency of the nurses was high?

Also, just out of curiosity, have you ever had a surgical procedure done at Bumrungrad? If so, how did it compare to Siriraj? Thanks!

[Sheryl]

In both our cases it was at Phyathai, as the Siriraj private hospital (an annex to the large Siriraj government hospital) had not at that time opened.

Local anesthesia in both cases, a nerve block rendering the lower arm completely numb, so wide awake during the procedure. I can't really imagine with surgery on a finger doing other than a regional block, it just isn't warranted.

As these were all day surgeries, and I have never been hospitalized at Phyathai, cannot comment on the quality of the nursing care. Ditto Siriraj, though its reputation is good.

I have had surgery several times at Bumrungrad and found the nursing care there high on appearances but there low in professional quality, though people who think nursing is synonomous with having their call bell promptly answered and who do not distinguish between a registered nurse and a nurses aid, might view it otherwise. (Issues: lack of professional nursing assessment of patient condition; nurses aides administering medications at night rather than the RN, etc etc). However, your surgery does not require inpatient admission and even if it is (unncessarily) done, it would be just 1 night. The only real nursing issue would be observations of the finger (for swelling etc) and you can do that yourself. If it were me I would opt for day surgery and stay at a hotel near the hospital afterwards so that easy to go back in if any problem.

OR cleanliness and modernity is not an issue in any of these hospitals, everything immaculate and clean and shiny.

Basically the issue with your procedure is to extract the tumor without damaging any of the nerves and small blood vessels in the finger. Hence should be done by a specialist in hand/microsurgery. Beyond that it is not a major procedure and as mentioned would not require general anesthesia or overnight stay in hospital.

Your other option, since it is almost certainly benign, would be to leave it alone unless it increases in size and starts to cause problems.

[framesolution]

Sheryl - thank you so much for your reply and the information!

[zedsj]

Hi @framesolution, my 12 yr old has been handed the same situation as you, and we are considering the same options u are.

Can you share your decision and experience?