News Releases
PCH Utilizes New Equipment
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Three new pieces of equipment have been put into service at Paulding County Hospital. Two of the three are upgrades on former equipment but a brand new piece of equipment, BladderScan® is available for immediate use for patients in our emergency room or inpatients on the Medical or Surgical units. Urinating frequently, in small amounts, or with little notice can be symptoms that the bladder is not emptying fully. Until now a catheter had to be inserted into the bladder to find out how much urine remained after urination. This procedure can be uncomfortable, embarrassing, and has the risk of infection. The new Bladder Scanner at Paulding County Hospital measures the amount of urine in the bladder using ultrasound. The patient does not have to disrobe, there is no discomfort, nothing enters the body, and there is no risk of infection being introduced into the bladder. This gives the doctor valuable information for determining the best course of treatment for the patient. A new Plethysmograph was recently purchased for the Respiratory Department. This unit, also known as a “Body Box” is a highly sensitive lung measuring instrument used to detect lung problems that might be missed with conventional pulmonary function tests. The patient is completely enclosed in an airtight, clear plexiglass unit, the door is sealed and the internal pressure is equalized. The patient sits in a roomy area and breathes through a unit that takes various measurements, evaluating many aspects of lung function. The respiratory therapist is visable at all times and communications are accomplished through an intercom system. There is also a release button that the patient may push to open the door. Only one out of many respiratory function tests require the door to be shut and sealed for a short time. Most of the tests are done with the door open. To schedule an appointment for pulmonary function testing, please call 419-399-1133. The third piece of new equipment is the radiology department’s ultrasound unit. Many advancements are being made in ultrasound technology which allow this unit to show greatly enhanced images. The radiologists and technologists appreciate the high detail of the images produced. The new unit contains Scan Assistant software which often can make the ultrasound study quicker, which means less time on the exam table. Even the ultrasound exam table has been improved, with softer surfaces for patient comfort. A feature that will be added in the near future allows the technologist to bring up images from other radiologic studies on the computer screen with the ultrasound images, which will assist in comparison studies and allow for greater diagnostic accuracy. To schedule an appointment for an ultrasound or any radiologic procedure call 419-399-1131.
