Hospital insider: Expansion of diagnostic service at BGH improves care

A recent expansion of service at the Brantford General Hospital diagnostic imaging department is already proving to be successful providing more care for patients closer to home.

“Until this past January, some local and area urology, renal, and oncology patients who required certain angiography procedures had to go to Hamilton hospitals,” Leah Dunseith, a medical radiation technologist, said.

“A new state-of-the-art C-arm fluoroscopy machine has been purchased, which allows us to better meet the needs of our patients.”

Dunseith has worked in the Brantford General Hospital diagnostic imaging department at the Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS) for 24 years, ever since she graduated from Charles Sturt University in Australia.

A few years ago, Dunseith puts Dr. Maurice Voss who was working at the diagnostic imaging department at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton. Voss visited the Brantford General because he treated many patients who were transferred to Hamilton.

As an interventional radiologist, Voss uses his expertise in reading X-rays, ultrasound, MRI and other diagnostic imaging to guide tiny instruments through blood vessels to treat conditions that in the past would require surgery.

“I came to Ontario from New Zealand in 1999,” Voss said. “Patient flow and bed management is so important in healthcare these days. More cooperation between the two hospitals improves care.”

In January, the new expanded angiography suite opened at a cost of $1.2 million.

“Presently, we are treating urology, nephrology, and oncology patients,” Voss said. “Special tubes can be inserted in urology patients’ kidneys. We insert lines for dialysis patients and do biopsies of the kidney and the tissue. For oncology patients we can insert devices for chemotherapy.”

“As well, we drain abscesses and treat infections for surgery patients.”

Interventional radiology procedures require a team that includes the radiologist, two interventional radiology technologists, and two nurses who care for patients before the procedure, during, and through the patient’s recovery.

Brantford General radiologists Dr. Lewis Miller and Dr. Mark Lighter have completed interventional procedures for many years.

“Dr. Miller and Dr. Lighter, along with recently hired radiologists, are very good at what they do. They have considerable experience and expertise in interventional radiology. It is pleasure to work alongside them,” Voss said.

In the few months the new service has been provided, the benefits that were anticipated have come true.

“We are treating many patients locally, whereas in the past they would be transferred to Hamilton,” Julie Childerhose, associate director of diagnostic imaging at the BCHS, said. “Patients experience shorter wait times for their procedures.

“When patients are transferred in an ambulance a nurse needs to accompany them, so not only are we keeping more patients at the BGH, it also keeps our nurses here.”

Voss envisions an even bigger service.

“I would like to see the day when we can expand the service so we can attract fellowship-trained interventional radiologists who are complemented by highly skilled radiology technologists and nurses,” he said.

“We are on our way.”

Hospital Insider is written by Gary Chalk, who assists with communications for the Brant Community Healthcare System.