Medical milestone in Azua: First awake brain surgery successfully performed
The Azua Trauma Hospital reached a historic milestone in regional healthcare by performing, for the first time, an awake brain surgery. The complex procedure aimed at the removal of a glioma, marking a turning point in the neurosurgical capacity of the southern region of the country.
The patient, identified as Professor Odniel Toribio, underwent this procedure under a real-time monitoring scheme. The technique allowed the medical team to constantly evaluate his cognitive and language functions while working on critical areas of the brain, thus ensuring the preservation of his intellectual capabilities.
A polyglot patient as the protagonist
What made this case even more extraordinary was Professor Toribio’s ability to interact with the specialists during the operation. Being a polyglot, the patient held conversations in Spanish, English, Italian, French, and Russian, which made it easier for the neurosurgeons to verify the integrity of the language areas at each stage of the surgery.
Awake brain surgery is a fundamental technique for monitoring essential functions, allowing the medical team to make precise decisions that minimize the risk of postoperative neurological deficits.
A multidisciplinary team at the service of health
The success of this intervention was possible thanks to the coordination of a highly trained multidisciplinary team. The neurosurgical part was led by doctors Manuel Encarnación Ramírez, Rossi Barrientos, and Esther Ogando. For their part, the Anesthesiology team was composed of doctors Estrella and Escaño, while the physiological neuromonitoring was supervised by doctor Julio Nolasco.
- Specialty: High-complexity neurosurgery.
- Regional impact: Strengthening of specialized care in the Southern region.
- Safety: Risk reduction through constant neurological monitoring.
This breakthrough not only positions the Azua Trauma Hospital as a benchmark in high-complexity procedures, but also offers new hope to citizens of neighboring provinces, who now have access to cutting-edge medical services without the need to travel to other parts of the country.
