Compassionate Care. Close to home.

New Equipment for CH -F

New equipment made its debut at Community Hospital-Fairfax last week when doctors used a CC-arm Fluoroscopy to insert an I.V. for a patient’s chemo treatment.

            The equipment, which was purchased with funds raised by the Community Hospital-Fairfax Development Council, is an asset to the hospital’s services, said Betty Goins, ER/OR Supervisor.

            “It’s wonderful because it shortens the surgery time. The less a patient is under anesthesia, the better,” Goins said.    

            The fluoroscopy equipment, referred to as a “C-arm” because of its shape, is a fluoroscopy device that uses x-rays to reveal real-time imagery of a patient’s internal structure and enables surgeons to see into the body as they are performing surgery.

            The C-arm saves time for surgeons. Previously, images taken during surgery had to be sent to the radiology department to be developed. Then, they were brought back to the surgeon to review, which means the surgery could sit idle for up to 20 minutes while the images are taken to radiology and processed.

            “Having the images right in front of the surgeon is important. It makes the whole procedure go faster and smoother,” Goins said.

            Among the advantages of the equipment is the recording feature that allows surgeons to record a portion of a test or procedure so they can go back later and review the images. Dr. Aron Burke says the equipment will expand Community Hospital-Fairfax’s services as well.

            “It will increase our chances of doing more orthopedic procedures in the future,” he said.

            The Development Council has dedicated its 2009 fundraisers towards the purchase of new Arthroscopic equipment and instruments for orthopedic procedures. The Development Council’s Celebrity Waiter Dinner is major fundraiser for this equipment. For more information on the March 28th event, please visit www.FairfaxMed.com or call 660-686-2211 ext. 259.