St. Anthony Regional Hospital Adds Surgical Services and Technology to Meet Community Needs

Numerous outpatient surgical procedures are performed at St. Anthony.

posted on 10/4/2018 in Features

In 2017, a total of 7,500 surgeries and surgical procedures were performed at St. Anthony, improving the health and quality of life of countless individuals throughout the region. The number is expected to be similar or even higher in 2018, due to the hospital’s addition of new services and advanced technologies to meet the needs of west central Iowans.

“The St. Anthony Surgical Center uses advanced laparoscopic and robotic technology, which allows surgeons to perform with more precision by using a small robotic hand,” said Dawn Bonham, RN-BSN, Director of Surgical Services. “St. Anthony pioneered the da Vinci robotic technology in the region and has da Vinci-trained surgeons in multiple specialties. We are proud to offer this advanced technology, which leads to shorter hospital stays, less recovery time and better outcomes for patients.”

Twenty skilled surgeons, including many specialists, serve the community at the St. Anthony Surgical Center. The center provides a comprehensive range of elective, trauma and urgent surgical services. Common general surgical procedures include gall bladder, hernia repair, breast surgery, podiatry, and bowel surgery.

St. Anthony also offers the following specialty surgical procedures: orthopedics; joint replacement; gynecology/emergency obstetrics; pacemakers and defibrillators; plastics; ophthalmology; ear, nose and throat; urology; dentistry; gastrointestinal; and endoscopy.

“In 2018, the St. Anthony Surgical Center reintroduced manometry, an outpatient test of the esophagus used to diagnose digestive conditions. The center also embraced innovative Bravo technology, which monitors pH levels and evaluates acid reflux, and laparoscopic Nissen, a surgery used to treat reflux and hiatal hernia,” said Bonham.

By combining these tests, St. Anthony can more effectively detect, diagnose and develop a plan of care for reflux, hiatal hernia and other digestive conditions.

“This is very exciting step for the Surgical Center,” said Bonham. “The combination of manometry, Bravo™ and laparoscopic Nissen allows St. Anthony to provide access to needed care for the growing elderly population in the community.”

According to Bonham, this significant combination is not offered by other providers within a 75-mile radius.

“We can now detect and correct many digestive conditions, while keeping patients close to home,” she said.

Numerous outpatient surgical procedures are also performed at St. Anthony, which reduces recovery time for patients. Common outpatient procedures include: knee arthroscopy, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, tonsillectomy, hernia repair and biopsies.

Bonham views her job as life changing and finds the work extremely rewarding.

“Every day we save lives in the communities we serve – sometimes we do this through emergency procedures, but many other times it is by helping patients have the ability to live a normal, happy life – performing a gall bladder surgery to allow a patient to eat without pain, a knee replacement to help a patient regain the ability to move, or a c-section so a healthy baby can come into the world,” she said. “I feel very lucky and blessed to do what I do – I love it.”

Did you Know?
4,497 surgeries have been performed at St. Anthony to date in 2018. The hospital plans to conduct another 3,000 surgeries by year end.

Did You Know?
November and December are the busiest months for the St. Anthony Surgical Center. By this time of the year, many people have already met their out-of-pocket insurance deductibles and decide it is the ideal time to plan (and pay for) elective surgeries. Parents of children with tonsils that need to be removed or ear tubes that need to be replaced often also choose this time of the year to coincide with holiday breaks. Another factor is the cold weather. Slips and falls on the ice can result in broken and fractured bones, which often need surgical repair.

Did you Know?
The most common surgeries and surgical procedures performed at St. Anthony include: colonoscopies, cataracts, knee replacements, hip replacements, pacesetters, gall bladders, c-sections, da Vinci hernias, knee scopes and appendectomies.

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