IMPLANT PROSTHESIS SURGERY OFFERED FOR 1ST TIME in NORTH AMERICA via MEDICAL TRAVELER YUCATAN

Merida, Yucatan, Mexico - August 26, 2010

The first North American "implant" surgery for above-knee amputees was performed successfully on a Pittsburgh woman, 69, last week in Merida, Yucatan. The surgical team used a German orthopedic invention, the ESKA Endo-Exo Prosthesis for the procedure. Medical Traveler Yucatan (MTY), a Merida medical travel company, has partnered with the surgeons in offering special packages to American and Canadian amputees for this procedure. MTY handles all medical and non-medical arrangements.
www.MedicalTravelerYucatan.com

While U.S. approval may be years away, 70 war and accident amputees have benefited from the surgery in Europe. The operation is now available on this side of the Atlantic thanks to a Mexican-German team of pioneering surgeons. Dr. Carlos Reyes De Caceres and Dr. Ricardo Guillermo Yanez of Star Medica Hospital joined German innovator, Dr. Horst Aschoff for the high-tech procedure.

MTY's Director, Alan Graham, whose father was an amputee says, "The old-fashioned sleeve procedure is outdated. This forward-thinking breakthrough gives new hope to America's amputees. We can now bring patients to Merida at huge surgical and hospital savings."

Copying the dental implant model, surgery is a 2-stage process: the implant (Endo) - then 6 weeks later - the attachment prosthesis (Exo). The Endo-prosthesis is implanted directly into the thigh bone. The Exo-prosthesis is securely attached or removed easily in minutes. A radical departure from the conventional sleeve prosthesis, the weight load is transferred directly from the bone to the prosthesis allowing the hip and femur to absorb the pressure. This allows for better mobility and balance.

The Merida patient, Pennsylvanian Uta Burrelli, lost her leg last year, "After the 1st stage I regained my will to live. Now after the 2nd stage I'm very happy. I got up on my legs just hours after surgery. I named my new leg, Super Heidi."

MTY offers all-inclusive packages for Canadians and Americans to Merida, Yucatan for this procedure. Including complete Medical and Non-medical arrangements, excluding airfare, for 2 trips for both stages, the cost range is $42,000 - $57,000. The patient's medical situation, selection of Exo-prosthesis, and other factors determine the final cost.

His interest sparked by seeing an implant prosthesis patient at a Boston medical conference, Merida's Dr. Reyes De Caceres trained in Lubeck, Germany for the procedure. On the cutting-edge of this technology in North America he emphasizes, "Patients who qualify for this surgery have had amputation secondary to trauma, cancer, or vascular causes in some cases. Endo-Exo prosthetic surgery is not suited for those with diabetes, lupus, and other conditions."

Concerning possible U.S. approval, Dr. Aschoff, the German surgeon offers, "Who knows when the procedure will be approved in the U.S. The American establishment loves the idea and thinks it is a great invention. But it is not an 'American' invention." Aschoff will be published this fall in the prestigious American and British medical journal, The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

MTY's Patient Care Facilitator and former Veterans Administration Specialist, Mike Riniolo asserts, "The advantages of this advanced medical prosthesis can have immediate application for the thousands of amputees back from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars."

For more information contact:
Alan Graham
Founder & Director
Medical Traveler Yucatan (MTY)
Calle 26, No. 199 x 15 y 7
Altabrisa, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
504.655.0236 (US - CAN - MEX) / 999.143.3432 (MEX)
info@medicaltraveleryucatan.com
www.MedicalTravelerYucatan.com

Alan Graham is Founder and Director of MEDICAL TRAVELER YUCATAN (MTY). As a project manager at Tulane University, he created and was executive director of a non-profit organization focusing on alternative solutions. He has benefited from 100% of his medical care in Merida for the past 5 years.


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PR courtesy of Online PR News: http://www.onlineprnews.com