Doctor Zoom

MEDICAL consultations carried out online could become the norm following a successful trial amongst nine medical centres across the Comunidad Valenciana.

So far the reception from patients has been positive, particularly amongst those who have to fit medical appointments around their jobs.

The Department of Health has suggested video consultations could be launched across the region but recognises that some cases will necessitate face-to-face meetings.

move the damaged lung and inserted a new one through an eight-centimetre incision in the lower part of the sternum, just above the diaphragm.

Besides being safer than previous techniques, which needed a 30-centimetre cut, the patient's post-op treatment involves less pain as the smaller wound closes far more easily.

Vall d’Hebron’s Lung Transplant head, Albert Jauregui, said: “We believe it is a technique that will improve patients’ life quality, the post-surgery period and reduce pain. We hope this technique will eventually spread