A new bronchoscope was recently purchased by Peace Arch Hospital thanks to the support from TB Vets donors.
“The bronchoscope is small, but mighty. We knew that it would help COVID-19 patients and others suffering from breathing difficulties to recover,” shares Stephanie Beck, Executive Director of Peace Arch Hospital Foundation.
Peace Arch Hospital is proud of its ability to provide the best care possible for the community. However, the hospital can only continue to give optimal care with new, medically advanced equipment that is available today. Purchases of the best equipment, such as the new bronchoscope, help ensure that the residents of South Surrey and White Rock, served by Peace Arch Hospital, receive the very best care possible close to home.
A bronchoscope is a long, flexible plastic tube fitted with a camera, and it’s used to examine the airways and lungs to diagnose and treat problems such as: tumors, bronchial cancer, airway obstructions, infections, and strictures. Procedures are also performed to diagnose problems with the airway, the lungs or with the lymph nodes in the chest, to control bleeding, diagnose and treat cancer. Over 200 patients at Peace Arch Hospital are treated using a bronchoscope every year.
"With this gift we have been able visualize patients’ airways in real time and take samples to help diagnose and rule out life altering diseases."
Due to the effects of COVID-19, now more than ever, bronchoscopes are urgently needed to treat patients quickly and efficiently. Bronchoscopy in critically ill patients has been required to manage complications, as well as to obtain samples for microbiological cultures and to assist in the management of artificial airway. The new bronchoscopes enable medical teams to determine the reason for the laboured breathing.
