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A Focus on Surgery
General surgeon Luis Jain, M.D. (left) and a surgical team perform a laparoscopic gall bladder operation at Roseau Area Hospital. Jain is one of four local physicians credentialed to perform surgical procedures. These physicians perform nearly 450 surgeries annually at RAH. |
Surgery is an ongoing occurrence at big city hospitals, but have you ever stopped to wonder how many surgeries take place each year in a smaller setting like Roseau Area Hospital and Homes?
For a rural healthcare facility, the numbers are most impressive. On average, RAHH logs between 400 and 450 surgical procedures a year with patients of all ages.
The RAHH medical staff includes ten physicians. In addition to their duties at the hospital and at the Altru clinics in Roseau, Warroad, and Greenbush, each one is credentialed to perform or assist with surgical procedures.
Three of these physicians—Dr. Ralph Herseth, Dr. Ron Brummer, and Dr. Bryon VandeWege—are credentialed to perform a number of surgical procedures, and Dr. Luis Jain is qualified for more extensive surgical procedures.
Together, these four local physicians are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for emergency surgical procedures, such as appendectomies and Cesarean sections, in the hospital’s state-of-the-art Operating Room.
Ralph Herseth, M.D. is one of four physicians credentialed to perform surgery at RAH. The hospital is proud to have four physicians on staff who are able to perform Cesarean sections. |
An expansion and renovation project in 2001 fully modernized the O.R. at Roseau Area Hospital, making it more convenient for patients and medical staff.
“We are extremely fortunate to have such an impressive surgical area here at the hospital,” says Dr. Jain. “The support we physicians receive from Roseau Area Hospital is commendable. The hospital provides the best equipment possible so we can provide the high level of care our community deserves.”
Because of this dedication to local healthcare, patients at Roseau Area Hospital are able to undergo a variety of surgical procedures without leaving Roseau County.
The procedure list includes surgeries of the gallbladder, tonsils and adenoids, hernia, appendectomy, bowel resection, exploratory laparotomy, diagnostic laparoscopy, colectomy, and others.
It also includes many surgeries specific to women, such as hysterectomy, D & C, tubal ligation, ovarian cystectomy, ovarian cyst, and breast biopsy.
Team Approach
In addition to its physicians, Roseau Area Hospital provides 24-hour call for a scrub nurse, circulator, and anesthetist to assist in emergency surgeries.
“Roseau Area Hospital is fortunate to have such skilled, experienced, and dedicated people that work as a team,” says RAHH Operating Room Nurse, Rhoda Huglen, R.N.
For most surgeries at the hospital, that team consists of four or five professionals. In the case of a C-section, an assistant surgeon and an additional registered nurse are present.
Cataract Surgery
Ophthalmologist Ronald Brockman, M.D. (left) performs a cataract surgery at Roseau Area Hospital. As a visiting medical specialist, he travels to Roseau once a month, treating patients at the clinic and performing surgery in the RAH operating room. Assisting him is his surgical technician, Bernadette Clemens (right). The team performed six cataract surgeries on their first visit to RAH on August 31, 2006, and another nine surgeries were scheduled for the following visit. Each procedure takes only about 15 minutes, and patients are allowed to leave the hospital an hour or two after surgery. |
As part of its mission to provide additional services to the community, Roseau Area Hospital recently began offering an advanced form of eye surgery.
Patients diagnosed with cataracts can now have them removed locally thanks to the hospital’s partnership with Grand Forks based Altru Health System.
Once a month, ophthalmologist Robert Brockman, M.D., and his surgical technician, Bernadette Clemens, travel to Roseau from Altru Health System, performing cataract surgery in the RAHH operating room.
During their first visit on August 31, the team performed six cataract surgeries at RAH. Another eight surgeries were done the following visit.
The delicate procedure, which involves two small incisions, takes only about 15 minutes to complete.
The patient is first given a topical drop to numb the eye and a small dose of anesthesia.
No eye patch is needed following the procedure, however sunglasses are required to reduce eye strain. The patient is also required to take eye drops before and after the surgery.
Because the procedure involves such small incisions, the patient is able to leave the hospital only an hour or two after surgery. The patient is not permitted to drive, however, so a driver is needed to take the patient home.
Patients generally follow up with their referring medical doctor or an optometrist the day after surgery.
In addition to surgery, Dr. Brockman sees patients at the clinic during his monthly visits to Roseau. |
