Press Release
A new monitor for the Endoscopy suite at La Verendrye General Hospital here was installed in December.
The $18,000 project, purchased through funds raised from the Riverside Foundation for Health Care’s “Fiesta Like There’s No Manana” fall gala, features a large screen that produces an enhanced image, making it easier for the surgeons to detect abnormal tissue.
Upwards of 700 endoscopy procedures are performed at La Verendrye every year, including colonoscopies to screen for cancer through Cancer Care Ontario’s Colorectal Cancer Screening Program.
“It’s transforming,” said Dr. Shiraz Elkheir. “Not just for the surgeons but for the nursing staff, as well.”
He noted the new set-up of the monitor being mounted to the wall allows the nurses to move around the room freely without being impeded by equipment or impeding the view for the surgeon.
“The addition of the new monitors also improves the versatility of the room,” said RN First Assistant Marna Martin.
“And [it] will allow for alternate monitor placements to accommodate various surgeon preferences while still ensuring that the surgeon is able to view a high-quality image,” she added.
The screen is large enough that if patients so wish, they may watch their procedure in real time.
Cindy Cole, director of Patient Safety and PeriOperative Services, stated that within the first week of the monitor’s use, one patient chose to do just that and watched their procedure in its entirety.
The remaining funds from the fall gala will go towards the purchase of a fetal monitor with remote capabilities.
In other Foundation news, an open house will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 12 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the new Foundation office located in the main lobby of La Verendrye Hospital.
The public is invited to drop in to see the new space, meet the staff and board members, and learn about the Foundation.
