(MINOT, ND)
A choice procedure to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with a certain type of irregular heartbeat just got better, thanks to the ingenuity of Trinity Health Cardiovascular/Thoracic Surgeon Christopher Phillips, MD, FCCP, FACC, FACS.

Dr. Phillips came to Trinity from the Cleveland Clinic, where a breakthrough treatment for atrial fibrillation was developed.

Atrial fibrillation or A-fib, as it’s often called, is a type of irregular heartbeat in which the two upper chambers of the heart beat rapidly and unpredictably.  Atrial fibrillation is the most under treated form of heart disease.” Dr. Phillips declares.

(MINOT, ND)-For the third time in recent years, Trinity Health has earned distinction as one of America’s Most Wired” health systems.  

The July issue of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine lists Trinity among the winners in its “”Most Wired – Small and Rural”” category.  For the second year in a row Trinity is the only North Dakota health system to make the list.

Trinity President and CEO John Kutch said an analysis of Most Wired health systems indicates that the use of IT is associated with better outcomes for patients.  “”Our investments in technology and training have helped to achieve benchmarks in patient care and safety

Trinity Behavioral Health Services will offer a series of parenting classes starting in January for families with children 0-12 years of age.

Nurturing Parenting offers guidance for parents and children to help them improve communication, control stress and anger, make discipline more effective and establish routines for daily activities and family fun.

Classes begin January 10 and continue each Tuesday through April 24 at Health Center-Third Street located at 420 3^rd St. SE, adjacent to the Trinity Hospital – St. Joseph’s parking ramp. Each class begins with a supper at 5:30 p.m. and concludes at 8 o’clock.

Nurturing Parenting is funded by the North Dakota Department of Human Services in partnership with the

NDSU Extension Service and the North Dakota Parent Education Network.

For registration information call Robin at 857-3622.

(MINOT, ND) –

Obstetrician/Gynecologist
Timothy Bedell, MD, is grateful that his residency training in Michigan acquainted him with a hard-to-diagnose condition affecting the bladder. But it’s safe to say he’s not nearly as grateful as the patients who’ve benefited from his experience.

Since joining Trinity Health a year ago, Dr. Bedell has treated a significant number of patients with a condition called interstitial cystitis, also known as IC or Painful Bladder Syndrome.

“IC is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the bladder that acts much like a stomach ulcer,” Dr. Bedell explains. “Both the bladder and stomach have a coating
that protects the lining. When acid irritates the stomach lining, an ulcer develops. Something similar happens to the bladder with IC.”

Common symptoms of IC are:

• Pain and/or pressure in the bladder or pelvic region
• Frequent urination
• A feeling of urgency to urinate
• Pain during sex

According to Dr. Bedell, one of the vexing things with IC is that the symptoms are similar to many other conditions, so misdiagnosis is common. The most common blind alleys are chronic pelvic pain and urinary tract infection.

 

“If a patient has been treated for pelvic pain and hasn’t found relief, I ask about urination,” Dr. Bedell said. “If a patient is going to the bathroom every hour or so and getting up four times a night, I suspect IC.”

 

The good news is that once a patient is thought to be a candidate for IC, a confirmation diagnosis isn’t hard to achieve. In addition to a doctor exam and thorough medical history, a potassium sensitivity test is conducted in which a catheter
is inserted into the bladder and three different solutions are injected, one containing potassium. “If the patient reacts to the potassium solution, it’s a good bet we’re dealing with IC,” he explains.

 

Although there is no known cure for IC, relief can be achieved through proper treatment. ELMIRON is an FDA-approved oral medication that helps protect the bladder lining and alleviates the pain and discomfort associated with IC.

 

“Patients take it three times a day for a number of weeks; then we start to wean them off. I advise
patients to keep some on hand for flair ups,” Dr. Bedell says, adding, “Diet is an important factor too. There are five major food triggers and a list of other foods that can be a problem. I tell patients to eliminate one food item at a time for three days to see if it helps. They can go through the list systematically and eliminate any foods that are a problem.”

 

The exact number of people with IC is unknown, but most estimates suggest four to nine million Americans may be affected. Although it is most commonly recognized in women, men also can develop it.

 

“Because it’s often misdiagnosed people can spend years in treatment with no relief,” Dr. Bedell notes. “By the time I see them they’ve had exploratory surgery, colonoscopy and laparoscopy procedures.”

 

It’s no wonder then that one patient who was successfully treated for IC wrote to Dr. Bedell, saying, “Thanks to you I’m able to pay attention to my life again.”

 

A Dallas native, Dr. Bedell earned his medical degree from the University of North
Dakota School of Medicine in Grand Forks and completed his Ob/Gyn residency at Grand Rapids Medical Education and Research Center
in Michigan. He has a strong background in gynecologic surgery, urogynecology, and the treatment of incontinence and pelvic
prolapse. For further information or for an appointment, please call Dr. Timothy Bedell at Health Center-Medical Arts,
857-7397.

 

Sources: Interstitial Cystitis Association, (www.ichelp.org) and Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov/ic)

(MINOT, ND)-The Trinity Health Foundation has received a $75,000 grant from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation to support Trinity’s rural cardiac care initiative.

Last year the Trinity Foundation launched a $1.7 million campaign to equip rural ambulance services and health providers with 12-lead EKG and other equipment needed to respond quickly to STEMI heart attacks, a type of heart attack caused by blockage of a coronary artery. 

Dozens of rural providers are slated to receive the live-saving equipment under Trinity’s initiative.  A statewide project is also underway to create a statewide STEMI system.” 

Trinity Foundation Director Amy Moen says this is the first grant that the Hearst Foundations have awarded in North Dakota.  The Hearst Foundations is headquartered in New York and San Francisco with a focus on enhancing education

(MINOT, ND)-Trinity Health is inviting the public to tour its new Advanced Imaging Center at an open house Tuesday, October 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Town & Country Center.

Located at the north end of Town & Country, the Advanced Imaging Center provides PET/CT scanning, open bore 3T-MRI, CT, ultrasound, echo vascular testing and diagnostic x-ray – all in an outpatient setting. 

This is an exciting expansion of our imaging service because it provides the community with the most up-to-date imaging technology in an outpatient setting that is comfortable and convenient,” said Dr. Kenneth Keller

(MINOT, ND)-Trinity Health will soon open a second clinic for oral and facial surgery.  Oral & maxillofacial surgeon Juan J. Ulloa, DDS, will relocate his practice to Plaza 16, 2815 16th St. SW.  The Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction Center is scheduled to open September 26. 

In addition to typical consults for oral & maxillofacial patients, I’ll focus on complex reconstruction procedures involving advanced techniques,” Dr. Ulloa said.  

His skills include complex surgery for facial and jaw deformities

(MINOT, ND) – Dr. Thomas Carver, a pediatrition and neonatologist with Trinity Medical Group, will host a workshop for parents with special needs children Thursday (Sept. 15) at 6:30 p.m. in the atrium of Trinity Health Center-West, 101 3rd Avenue West.

The workshop, titled ‘The IEP: A Toolkit for Realizing Possibilities,’ will focus on creating individualized education plans for disabled students, a requirement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. IEPs are designed to help students reach an agreed upon set of goals for academic and functional achievement.

‘We discovered as part of our medical home approach that there was a need to help parents understand the IEP process so that they can participate more actively and feel confident about their child’s development,’ Dr. Carver explained.

The goal of the workshop is to give parents and educators a set of tools that will help them create an IEP that families can understand and that teachers can draw on. Pathfinder Parent Center will provide presenters for the two-hour session.

Officials at Trinity Health suspected North Dakota was ready for advanced robotic surgery last summer when they recruited urologist Ryan Hedgepeth, MD, to lead the advanced robotics department. What they didn’t realize was how informed their patients would be about robotic surgery and the advantages it offers for certain types of procedures. 
 
Trinity Health introduced the da Vinci Si HD Surgical System to the region last July; it was the debut for this level of technology in North and South Dakota. On April 1, the surgery department at Trinity marked its 100th procedure utilizing this system. 
 
According to Dr. Hedgepeth, many patients were aware of the technology and of its benefits. They have been grateful for the new level of minimally invasive surgery the da Vinci offered them, including shorter recovery times, minimal scarring, less pain, less blood loss,and increased patient safety. 
 
When I first came to Trinity Health, we were determined to deploy this technology deliberately, ensuring the physicians were appropriately trained and comfortable using it for the appropriate cases,” noted Dr. Hedgepeth. 

For many years, Trinity Hospital’s Same Day Surgery unit was located on the building’s third floor, adjacent to the Family Birth Center.

But today, following seven months of construction and remodeling, the SDS Unit is located one floor directly above that location on the 4th floor of the hospital. And according to the SDS nurse manager, Kim Rosencrans, the new space has had very positive reviews from both patients and staff.

“We average about 22 patients per day through this unit – nearly all patients scheduled for surgery start out here; after their surgical procedure is performed in the hospital’s Operating Room, many will return to the SDS Unit until they are discharged later in the day,” explained Rosencrans. The new unit features 16 private patient areas.