Toronto doctor uses new technique for treating hernias
Posted October 11, 2011 7:59 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A doctor at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre has had great success with a new technique for treating hernias – but it’s not funded by the government.
Trauma surgeon Dr. Fred Brenneman recently held a fundraiser to make it easier for patients who need abdominal wall reconstruction. He’s performed this life-altering surgery dozens of times, using pig skin to help repair the damaged abdominal wall.
“This is new and innovative only because we now have the option of using a biologic mesh in cases where infection or contamination is a concern. We can turn two operations into one,” Dr. Brenneman said.
“I think of it as a situation where the funding simply hasn’t caught up with the innovation…I believe it will be funded,” he added.
Brenneman hoped to raise $100,000 for surgical research at a benefit last week.
In the video, Matt Long, a New York City firefighter who was critically injured in a car crash, speaks at the dinner.
