new minimally-invasive surgery techniques help reduce hospital stay

Urologist Venkata Jayanthi, MD, is bringing new techniques in minimally invasive surgery to Dayton Children’s that traditionally required more complex care, helping to reduce the chance of infection, pain and a patient’s hospital stay.



Jordan Braden came to the emergency department at Dayton Children’s in February with sepsis from a kidney obstruction and urine leakage.



“Jordan’s case is unique because she had a severe infection from a kidney obstruction, but didn’t present with typical abdominal pain,” explains Venkata Jayanthi, MD, medical director of urology at Dayton Children’s.



Typical symptoms of an obstruction include fever, pain, nausea and vomiting.



Jordan spent several days in the pediatric intensive care unit to treat the infection and to have a stent put in place to fix the urine leakage.



“We had to wait several months before we could do surgery to allow the tissue to heal,” says Dr. Jayanthi.



Traditionally, surgeons would complete a surgery like Jordan’s with an open incision to remove the obstruction, causing more pain and a large scar. However, thanks to the skill set that Dr. Jayanthi brings to Dayton Children’s, these types of surgeries can be done with minimally invasive techniques, which is a big win for patients – and parents.



“With the laparoscopic procedure, there are 3-5 millimeter scars, which causes less internal and external scarring, in addition to reducing the risk of infection and reduced pain,” shares Dr. Jayanthi.



It also means a much shorter hospital stay, which is a plus for patients and their families.



“Traditional surgery for a condition like Jordan’s would require several days in the hospital,” shares Dr. Jayanthi. “But with Jordan’s surgery, she only required an overnight stay, which is a big benefit to families.”