Local surgeon teaches Brazilian doctors about newest techniques

Two Brazilian surgeons visited Kalispell Regional Medical Center this week for an up-close view of a local orthopedic surgeon with an international reputation for knee replacements.

Dr. Albert Olszewski performed three minimally invasive knee replacements as Drs. Wilson Dratcu and Jose Pecora observed.

Olszewski will operate next month in Sao Paulo, Brazil before more than 150 doctors as part of a select group of presenters.

"Seven important international doctors have been invited," Dratcu said.

The group includes four U.S. specialists as well as surgeons from Austria, Venezuela and Germany. The April gathering is the second annual educational symposium organized by the hospital where Dratcu serves as medical coordinator.

Along with educating surgeons on the latest techniques, the symposium showcases the hospital built to serve children with muscular-skeletal disorders. Dratcu explained revenue from private, adult surgeries helps pay for children's operations.

"We have the best orthopedic hospital in the city," he said.

Dratcu said three private procedures can provide enough profit for the hospital to operate for free on one child. A waiting list of 2,700 children convinced resistant directors to open the doors to private, paying patients.

"It took a lot of work to change the board of directors' minds," Dratcu said.

The hospital, Abreu Sodre, attracts private surgeons by keeping up with technical advances and maintaining a high accreditation earned through low infection rates and other quality measures.

Olszewski's presentation along with the other surgeons will attract top physicians from both Brazil and surrounding countries to Hospital Abreu Sodre to learn about computerized navigation and minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Minimally invasive surgery and navigation are the hottest topics in orthopedics, Dratcu said.

Olszewski was part of a pioneering team of surgeons picked by Stryker Orthopedics to test its cutting-edge, knee replacement technique over a two-year period. Stryker had designated Kalispell Regional Medical Center as a joint center of excellence.

A partner at Flathead Valley Orthopedic Center, Olszewski mastered the technique, which replaces knee joints through a 3- to 4-inch opening rather than the standard 12-inch incision.

On Monday, Dratcu and Pecora watched as the surgeon navigated through the small opening, under muscles and tendons, to cut the bones to accept the new implant. Next, Olszewski tucked the new joint into place through the incision.

"I'm impressed with the size of the incision and the quick recovery," Pecora said. "On the same day, he (the patient) can start to move the leg."

Pecora operates as a private physician, performing orthopedic surgeries on adults in Sao Paulo, a city with a population of 16 million. He said the city ranks as the fifth largest metropolitan area in the world.

As in the United States, Brazil has an aging population. Pecora expects orthopedic surgery demand to continue to grow.

"Aged people don't feel comfortable with the limitations of aging," he said. "Our intent is to learn this procedure as soon as possible and educate others."

Along with the quick recoveries, Pecora was impressed with Kalispell Regional Medical Center's system of patient education. He said the patient learns that a good outcome depends not just on the physician but the patient's post-operative activities.

"As surgeons, we don't realize that the patient doesn't know what to do," he said.

Dratcu agreed. He said the system teaches the patient to become an active partner in his or her healing process.

The two Brazilian physicians also had high praise for the people they interacted with during their three-day stay. The two noted a dramatic difference from their visit in Washington, D.C.

"The people here are very kind, very gentle," Dratcu said. "We felt very comfortable here."

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com