HCMC purchases endoscopy system
Staff reporter
It's the only one of its kind in the county and in the area.
Hillsboro Community Medical Center recently purchased and received a hi-definition endoscopy system.
Mike Ryan, the hospital's chief executive officer, said the scope will be used for two procedures — colonoscopy and EGD (esophogealgastroduodensoscopy).
This high-tech, top of the line piece of equipment replaces an older scope that still functioned but had fewer capabilities.
The Fujinon system has a zoom capability which can be used instead of advancing the scope, Ryan said.
"The quality of the high-definition system is so much better," he said, making a "tremendous difference in what physicians can see and do."
A demonstration showed the increased quality of the pictures produced from the scope that identifies irregularities better than the naked eye.
Another important upgrade from the previous machine is the ability to save the diagnostic information on a memory card, not just print like the older machine.
Ryan said the scope should last at least five or six years and if a new scope needs to be replaced, the same hardware could be used.
"This is high-end, state of the art equipment, previously available only in the larger urgan settings such as Wichita or Salina," Ryan said.
What is an endoscope?
An endoscope allows physicians to peer through the body's passageways. Endoscopy is the examination and inspection of the interior of body organs through an endosope.
An endoscope uses fiber optics and powerful lens systems to provide lighting and visualization. The portion of the endoscope inserted into the body may be rigid or flexible, depending on the medical procedure.
Using two fiber optic lines, an endoscope has a light fiber that carries light in to the body cavity and an image fiber that carries the image back to the physician's viewing lens. This port also may be used to insert small folding instruments such as forceps, scissors, brushes, snares, and baskets for tissues removal, sampling, or other diagnostic and therapeutic work.
Why is endoscopy performed?
Internal abnormalities revealed include abscesses, biliary (liver) cirrhosis, bleeding, bronchitis, cancer, cysts, degenerative disease, gallbladder stones, hernia, inflammation, metastatic cancer, polyps, tumors, ulcers, and other diseases and conditions.
The procedure is minimally invasive, carrying minor risks, and generally can be done on an outpatient basis.
The two types of endoscopy available at HCMC are EGD and colonoscopy. An EGD is a visual examination of the upper gastro-intestinal (GI) tract to reveal hemorrhage, hiatal hernia, inflammation of the esophagus, or gastric ulcers.
A colonoscopy is an examination of the inside of the colon and large intestine to detect polyps, tumors, ulceration, inflammation, colitis diverticula, Chrohn's disease, and discovery and removal of foreign bodies.
