Wireless monitoring system helps KVH track patient data
Lou Marzeles
News Editor
Think of the new telemetry system at Klickitat Valley Hospital (KVH) as Wi-Fi for your heart.
"It's wireless," explains Marybeth O'Brien, Director of Nursing at KVH. "Our new telemetry system can monitor people in the operating room, the post-op area, and also in the emergency room."
Telemetry is a technology term, and it means an electronic device that measures, transmits, and receives information across distances. The one installed on July 5 at KVH is cutting edge, state-of-the-art technology on par with any in the country, the only difference being in the number of features employed at KVH.
"We didn't need all of them here," O'Brien explains.
The KVH system is highly sophisticated. "It does monitor heart functions from different units in the hospital, and we can trace somebody's heart rate," O'Brien says, "and because it's wireless, somebody can be there laying in a room and we can watch how their heart's beating, if there's any change in their rate, any arrhythmia, any elevations, any ischemia to their heart, by looking at the monitor. It can also monitor somebody's oxygen saturation. The ER doctor can also be watching it as well, while we're down here on the floor doing what we need to do. They can be watching the same thing, real time."
The wireless nature of the telemetry system also means that medical professionals at KVH can walk around with devices that keep them fully up-to-date on the status of patients. "We have portable units," O'Brien explains, "so you can be walking down the hall; somebody can measure what your heart is doing while they're walking around doing normal, regular activities." The system allows KVH to monitor five hospital units at a time.
O'Brien gives an example. "Say we have a patient who's having chest pain or something indicative like that, and it doesn't look like it's cardiac; doesn't look like that at all, but we want to rule it out for sure," she says. "We can watch that patient every second of the time to make sure. It's great for patients who have heart failure and are here for that, where you really want to watch their heart function carefully. We can do that 24 hours a day."
In addition to its new telemetry system, KVH also now has cardiology care available on site, saving patients long drives to other locations for such a service. The cardiology service began two months ago.
"OHSU [Oregon Health Sciences University] comes twice a month, on Fridays," O'Brien says. "And Pacific Heart is once a month on Fridays, so that covers three weeks out of the month."
A cardiologist from Pacific Heart comes to KVH once a month on a Friday, either the first or the third Friday, and a cardiologist from OHSU comes the second and fourth Fridays.
"We might have referred somebody to a specialist to see a cardiologist," O'Brien explains. "So now, instead of having them drive all the way out there, they can see them here. That's quite a benefit for our community. And patients have been taking advantage of it-they've been full.
"We do our own treadmill here, so they can read the treadmills. Pacific Heart reads tracings, those kinds of things. Heart problems are paramount in our society. It's really nice to not have to drive all the way to Portland or even The Dalles to see somebody for specialty care. I think it's going to benefit our community greatly."
Will Goldendale's Saturday Market return?
Diana Notestine
Columnist
Will Goldendale's Saturday Market reopen in 2010? The Market offers Goldendale and its visitors community fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, occasional fresh Columbia River salmon and sturgeon, original arts and crafts, Klickitat County honey, farm fresh eggs, and wonderful lavender products.
There is a core of committed vendors who have been with the market since its inception, and there are vendors who come and return from time to time, so each week there is a different, new product to consider.
The Saturday Market has no paid employees, and all vendor fees go towards advertising, insurance, and licensing. This year the market location moved to Simcoe Drive behind Goldendale Grind, across the street from the high school, to make room for more vendors.
But the Market is down from 40 vendors to the original 12 to 15, and down from a customary 500 to 600 customers to only 250 to 300. It's obvious the vendors won't come if the customers don't come. Without some community involvement and city assistance, the question is raised whether or not the Market will not reopen in 2010.
With the Klickitat County Fair over, the fair board is starting to organize next year's events already. Lori Anderson from the fair reported that the numbers were down slightly for Thursday night's Kickoff BBQ. |
