Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is the medical use of oxygen at a level higher than at atmospheric pressure. It was initially developed to treat divers suffering from decompression sickness or gas embolism. Many other applications have since been found for this painless procedure in which a person is exposed to increased pressure, thus allowing greater absorption of oxygen throughout the body tissues. This increased pressure allows more oxygen to reach the cells within the body therefore contributing to many healing and therapeutic benefits. In other words, when utilizing HBOT, oxygen is gently forced into the tissues, organs, brain and fluids throughout the body thanks to the pressurization of the hyperbaric chamber.
This oxygen influx stimulates cell growth and regeneration, displaces toxins and other impurities to assist in the detoxification of the body, and since bacteria and viruses typically cannot tolerate oxygen it also reinforces the immune system. These are some of the properties that explain why Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is currently used to treat a variety of ailments like carbon monoxide poisoning, crush/trauma injuries, diabetic foot ulcers, problem wounds, or severe anemia. In America, physicians refer patients to hospitals with hyperbaric chambers for treatment if they suffer from one, or more, of the thirteen conditions which are approved by the FDA. In Taiwan the use of HBOT for treatment of these conditions is covered by the National Health Insurance. Research suggests that the benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can also be used in the treatment of many other “off-label” (non-FDA approved) conditions ranging from migraine to multiple sclerosis, and to improve the body’s general well being or speed up its recovery time after exercising.
The HyperbaricOxygenTherapyCenter at Min-ShengGeneralHospital was established eightyearsago by Dr. Chen Shing-Han, and treats several hundred patients every month. In recent years an increasing number of these patients were referred to the center by dental and cosmetic clinics to help alleviate the pain and speed up the recovery associated with some of their procedures. Min-Sheng’s HyperbaricCenter is equipped with two multiplacechambers;the smaller chamber is located in a dedicated spa environment and can be converted into a monoplace chamber for those who wish for the comfort and privacy that such chambers afford. All HBOT sessions are conducted under medical supervision, and patients (referred or not) will see a physician specializing in hyperbaric medicine before starting any treatment. The Center is open from Monday to Friday and is located on the second floor of the hospital.
The Taoyuan Branch of the Department of Health of the ROC has appointed Min-Sheng General Hospital to participate in its cancer prevention campaign. All those, including foreign residents, who are enrolled in the National Health Insurance program and meet the criteria can now receive a free screening for gastrointestinal, oral, breast, or cervical cancer.
Men and women aged 50 to 69 are eligible for a free screening for gastrointestinal cancer once every two years. Those interested will be provided with a special container to collect a stool sample that should be returned to the OPD laboratory on the second floor of Min-Sheng’s Ching- Kuo Campus.
Smokers and people chewing betel nut aged 30 or more can apply for an oral cancer screening at the dental and ENT clinics on the third floor.
Women aged between 45 and 70, and those aged 40 to 45 with a family history of breast cancer, can receive a free breast cancer screening once every two years at the radiography center located in the second basement.
Finally, all women aged 30 or more can receive a free Pap-smear once a year to help detect cervical cancer at the OB and GYN clinics on the second floor.
A special window is open at the Clinics Registration Counter to register and provide information to all those interested in this free service. Present your NHI card and mention the type of screening that you’d like to undergo, and the attendant will provide you with instructions. Oral, gastrointestinal and cervical cancer screenings are available from Monday to Saturday; breast cancer screenings can be done every day.
When Prince Court Hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, looked for a dialysis center to treat one of its patients planning a trip to Taiwan, it contacted Min-Sheng General hospital to make the arrangements. This episode underlines the plight of thousands of people with renal problems who require dialysis several times a week, whether they are at home or traveling abroad. People with such conditions should not be deterred from traveling; they just need more planning and attention.
The Dialysis Center at Min-Sheng Hospital is the perfect place for this type of travelers. The 56-bed center is equipped with the latest Fresenius machines and is staffed with four nephrologists, forty-two nurses and two technicians. The center which offers Conventional Hemodialysis, High efficiency Hemodialysis, High flux hemodialysis, and Peritoneal Dialysis is open six days a week (from Monday to Saturday) from 7:30 in the morning until 10:30 at night for the greatest convenience of the patients.
With a focus on quality care and safety, the center implements strict infection control procedures; hollow fibers membranes are single-use only, all the equipment goes through stringent daily monitoring and is maintained by a team of in-house experienced technicians. In 2009, Min-Sheng General Hospital’s Dialysis Center was surveyed by Joint Commission International (JCI), the international arm of Joint Commission the body that reviews all hospitals in the USA, and became the first hospital in the world to be awarded CCP (Clinical Care Program) Certification for its chronic kidney disease program.
Foreign visitors in need of dialysis treatment while staying in Taiwan are welcome to the center. Advance booking is required and treatment can be tailored to meet personal requirements. People interested in using the services of the Dialysis Center should contact the International Healthcare Department of Min-Sheng General Hospital that will make the necessary arrangements.
DelAmLife is the latest international insurance company to choose Min-Sheng General Hospital as a preferred medical partner in Taiwan.
Delaware American Life Insurance Company (DelAmLife), an affiliate of ALICO, is the underwriter of the Atlas Expatriate Benefits plans in the United States. Atlas Expatriate Benefits plans were developed specifically to meet the medical needs of globally mobile employees and can be tailored to accommodate individual clients' requirements.
Thanks to the agreement signed between DelAm and Min-Sheng General Hospital, the hospital will charge DelAm directly for the medical costs incurred by Atlas Expatriate Benefit members in Taiwan, within the limits of their personal plan. Atlas Expatriate Benefit members in Taiwan include employees of multinational corporations, large hotel chains, legal firms, and foreign embassies.
More than a dozen International Health Insurance and assistance companies from America, Japan and Europe have signed cooperation agreements with Min-Sheng in order to facilitate the care and handling of their clients.
Min-Sheng General Hospital recently hosted the first Asian Diabetes Surgery Summit that looked at the therapeutic option that some weight loss surgical procedures offer to patients suffering from Type II Mellitus Diabetes. Surgeons and endocrinologists from across Asia and the United States gathered to share their experience, and discuss the latest developments in metabolic surgery.
Type II Diabetes Mellitus is a pandemic that affects almost 3% of the global population. It is estimated that by 2025 380 million people world wide will suffer from the disease, many of them in Asia. Type 2 diabetes is due primarily to lifestyle factors and genetics. A sedentary lifestyle, excessive weight and hypertension are often the trigger to developing the disease. Diabetes is difficult to cure and treatment currently focuses on containing and managing the disease. Life style modifications and strict compliance to diet and drug regimen are paramount in treating diabetes. However, current therapies are far from ideal and the condition of the patient often deteriorates and affects the quality of his or her life.
The first reports suggesting that bariatric surgery may be useful in the treatment of Type II diabetes Mellitus, even in non-morbidly obese patients, appeared in the medical literature 15 years ago. Studies have since shown that more than 80 % of diabetic patients undergoing a weight loss procedure like a gastric bypass, or gastric sleeve regain normal blood sugar control, and resolve their diabetes type II problem. This is especially true for younger patients and patients who have been suffering from diabetes for a shorter period of time. More recently, it has been discovered that bariatric surgery has specific metabolic effects and can improve diabetes even before a significant weight loss has been achieved. Gastric bypass patients routinely see their diabetes disappear within days or weeks after surgery.
Doctors are now starting to wonder if surgery is equally effective in less heavy patients. This is of foremost importance for Asians suffering from Type II diabetes because Asians typically have a higher body fat percentage than Caucasians, which explains why they often develop diabetes at a lower weight and BMI (Body Mass Index). The consensus among professionals is now that Bariatric surgery should be considered for the treatment of diabetes Type II in patients with a BMI of 35 or more, and that it may also be appropriate to treat patients who are mildly obese (BMI 30-35 kg/m2) and are inadequately controlled by lifestyle and medical therapy. The contention is whether the same results can be simulated in diabetics who are not obese, and studies are currently being conducted to evaluate the efficacy and availability of laparoscopic bariatric surgery for Type II Diabetes Mellitus patients with BMI of less than 30. Positive results could shift the paradigm in the treatment of Type II diabetes from managing the disease to actually curing it.
In prelude to the first Asian Diabetes Surgery Summit that took place in its facilities, Min-Sheng General Hospital hosted a workshop on Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS) featuring live demonstrations of different weight loss surgical procedures using this technique.
Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS), also referred to as single-port Access (SPA) surgery or laparoscopic endoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) is the latest development in laparoscopic surgery. Laparoscopic surgery is a type of minimally invasive abdominal surgery performed through small incisions, using tiny video equipment to allow the surgeon to see what he is doing on the inside. The abdominal cavity is often inflated with gas in order to provide working space and small surgical tools pass through ports placed through the incisions enabling the surgeon to perform the procedure internally in the same way it would be done through an open incision.
The advantages of laparoscopic surgery stem from the small size of the incisions made during the procedure. Smaller incisions result in less blood loss during surgery, and in smaller wounds that reduce the risk of infection, are less painful, and shorten the recovery time. Other advantages are a better cosmetic effect and patients discharged sooner which lessens overall costs.
Often used for gastrointestinal, gynecologic and urology surgery, laparoscopic surgery has made tremendous progress over the past twenty years, and is now routinely performed for various bariatric (weight loss) procedures. Recent advances in technology have made it possible to reduce the number of entry ports necessary to safely perform this type of surgery, and skilled surgeons are now able to operate by making a single incision in the navel through which they insert the multiple-instrument access port. SILS offers outstanding cosmetic results since the only scar, hidden in the navel, is barely visible, however it has not yet been established whether it significantly adds to the other advantages of conventional laparoscopic surgery.
Surgeons from across Asia and Taiwan who attended the workshop got to see, live from Min-Sheng Hospital’s operating rooms, several types of weight loss surgery (gastric sleeve, gastric bypass) performed using the single incision laparoscopic (SILS) technique.
Min-Sheng General Hospital is a leading center for Bariatric (weight loss) surgery in Asia.
Cathay Pacific airways has chosen Min-Sheng General hospital as one of its healthcare providers to treat its crew members when they are in need of medical care while on layover in Taiwan. Cathay Pacific Airways operates over 200 weekly flights between Hong Kong and Taipei, and many of their crew stay in the Taoyuan area when on layover. From now on, if a crew member requires medical attention following a work related incident, or because of a condition having suddenly developed, he or she will find fast and effective treatment at Min-Sheng Hospital by following the channels that have been set up especially for the airline.
Min-Sheng General hospital has been working together with the Australian subsidiary of French Insurance giant AXA, which handles healthcare assistance for Cathay Pacific Airways, to establish the procedures that enable the speedy and cashless handling of the Cathay Pacific crew cases. The International Healthcare Department of Min-Sheng General Hospital is staffed with multilingual personnel that has experience dealing with foreign insurance companies, which makes for smooth and efficient communication between the hospital, the insurance staff in Australia, and the Cathay Pacific crew on the ground.
