The Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Respiratory Care Department announced it has established regular hours for electroencephalogram (EEG) testing and made an upgrade to its Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) system.
BMH Respiratory Services Manager Laurie Kuralt, RN, BSN, CCRN, says a staff member recently received extensive training in performing EEG tests, enabling the hospital to offer regularly scheduled hours for EEG testing three days a week on an outpatient basis, as well as on weekends should the need arise. An EEG test measures electrical activity in the brain. It is used to diagnose epilepsy, study sleep disorders like narcolepsy, and check for mental health problems or problems with dementia, among other applications.
Kuralt says the new PFT technology will allow for faster testing of patients as well as shorter turnaround times for diagnosis of breathing problems, including asthma, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). She adds that the new PFT system has a body box, which can accommodate larger patients. With this new technology, patients with claustrophobia or orthopedic limitations can now be accommodated, by performing a full PFT outside the body box using a nitrogen washout method.
To schedule appointments for either of these services or for more information, contact the BMH Respiratory Care Department at 802-275-3619.
The BMH Respiratory Care Department works in consultation with a patient’s primary health practitioner to provide life-saving technology and medications for breathing problems as well as prevention education. The staff consists of board-licensed respiratory care practitioners, trained and certified in Advanced Adult and Pediatric Life Support as well as neonatal resuscitation. These “life support specialists” are also on the hospital’s Code Blue and Rapid Response teams. All of the Respiratory Care staff are multi-skilled and are also trained to perform cardiology procedures.
