SMC upgrades imaging capabilities

KELLOGG — Small rural hospitals are more often known for their limitations rather than the things that they do well, but Shoshone Medical Center is continuing to add tools to their arsenal to provide as much quality care for the Silver Valley community as possible.

Their recent acquisition of two new ultrasound machines is an example of their desire to remain one of the countries best critical access hospitals.

Casey Winchel, the manager of SMC’s Radiology Department, will now be able to assist doctors with advanced imaging techniques that will provide quicker results and more accurate diagnoses.

Diagnostic ultrasound, also called sonography or diagnostic medical sonography, is an imaging method that uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of structures within your body.

The images can provide valuable information for diagnosing and treating a variety of diseases and conditions.

Most ultrasound examinations are done using an ultrasound device outside your body, though some involve placing a device inside your body.

Some of the more common areas of the body that utilize ultrasound imaging are the uterus and ovaries during pregnancy, gallbladders, blood flow, guiding a needle for intravenous (IV) therapy, breast lumps, thyroid glands, genitals and prostate problems, joint inflammation (synovitis), and even metabolic bone disease.

With their new GE Venue Go and Canon Aplio i700, SMC has added two incredibly valuable imaging options for the facility.

The GE machine is portable and roughly the size of a tablet and can be used for quick examinations of the kidneys and livers, according to Winchel.

It will be primarily used in the hospital’s emergency department, where doctors will use the machine for quick imaging purposes.

“This basically allows our doctors to have access to certain imaging almost instantly,” Winchel said. “This is a valuable diagnostic tool for our doctors in the emergency room.”

Winchel is also excited for this machine’s ability to help with visual IV and catheter placement, which would allow them to only have to poke patients once.

The Canon Aplio i700 is a new, software-based machine that will allow the hospital to stay current with technology without having to constantly buy a brand new machine.

Like a cellphone, the machine will be able to update with new software as it becomes available.

The i700 will also give SMC’s imaging experts the ability to see deeper into the bodies of their patients than ever before, including the ability to get better imaging for patients with high body mass.

“Shoshone Medical has a fantastic team of health care workers and physicians that are committed to excellent care for our patients,” Winchel said. “This new ultrasound equipment is another step towards ensuring that they have the best tools available to provide that care to our community.”