There’s no doubt about it: a patient’s choice of medical
facility is an extremely critical component of a positive surgical outcome.
Quite simply, advanced levels of expertise and technology yield the best
possible results.
Considered one of the best hospitals in the country,
Manatee Memorial Hospital understands the importance of combining experience
with innovation. A valued member of the hospital’s surgical team, Pedro
Briceno, MD, exemplifies the power of that combination.
With experience as both a general surgeon and a transplant
specialist, Dr. Briceno believes that each area of a physician’s expertise
informs other areas. “My prior experience in transplant surgery has definitely
made me a different surgeon. A great knowledge of anatomy, combined with my
familiarity with complex situations and an extreme attention to small details,
makes a difference in my approach.”
In his work at Manatee Memorial Hospital, Dr. Briceno
performs a wide variety of surgical procedures as part of his mission to meet
patient needs. According to the doctor, his areas of concentration typically
include diseases of the gallbladder, pancreas and liver; endocrine problems,
swallowing disorders, neck surgery, vascular surgery, gastrointestinal
problems, colon cancer, anorectal disorders, hemorrhoids and inflammatory bowel
disease, and simple and complex hernias.
In addition to the above, Manatee Memorial Hospital also
offers state-of-the-art care in the areas of
benign and malignant disease of the breast, plastic and reconstructive
surgery, heart surgery, orthopaedic surgery, thoracic surgery, and neural, retinal,
and bariatric surgery.
In fact, such variety
is part of what makes the hospital, in Dr. Briceno’s opinion, such an
outstanding choice. “The universe of patients is very diverse,” he explains,
“and our surgical staff is extremely competent.”
Medical pioneers
As an approach to patient care, Manatee Memorial Hospital
strives to not only assemble the best staff, armed with leading-edge
technology, but also to make surgical techniques as minimally invasive as
medically possible.
Using innovations like the
da Vinci
Surgical System robot, which allows surgeons to perform
prostatectomies, hysterectomies, and other oncological and gynecological
procedures, the hospital is also the first in the county to offer surgical
treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) using the EsophyX™.
Requiring no incisions in the patient’s body, the procedure makes use of a
standard endoscope inserted into the patient’s mouth. Among those who have
opted to use the EsophyX™ method, studies show an 80 percent improvement of
GERD symptoms with fewer adverse effects and complications.
As these sorts of technologies allow procedures to be less
and less invasive, surgeons like Dr. Briceno may steadily find some relief from
one of the most challenging parts of their work: the stress of postsurgical
recovery. As the doctor puts it, “The patient has to do well!”
Fortunately, fewer, smaller and, in some cases,
non-existent surgical incisions simplify recovery times as well, making things
easier for both patient and physician. And since, on the other end of the
spectrum, Dr. Briceno says he considers “using his skills and knowledge to help
people in a relatively quick way” to be the thing he enjoys most about his
work, it seems an innovative facility like Manatee Memorial Hospital is as good
for him as it is for the patients.
Perhaps the doctor will even have a chance to someday
bring one of his greatest hopes for his patients to fruition. “I would like to
create a transplant center in this area,” he shares.