Your August Impact: New Bladder Scanner for Emergency Department Means Faster Relief for Patients

We’ve all been there, trying to find a bathroom in time, feeling like we’re going to explode. But now imagine that once you’ve found it, you still can’t pee…

Not being able to urinate can be an excruciating experience. As Gareth Aegard, a Registered Nurse in the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s Emergency Department can tell you, it’s a pretty common occurrence in Emerge.

“Once they get here, they can be in loads of pain,” Aegard said. “Obviously, we want to alleviate that pain as quickly as possible.”

The first line of diagnostics is an ultrasound. The inability to urinate most often is caused by some sort of blockage due to infection, injury, prostate enlargement, or some other condition. There are times though that rather than an urge to urinate, something else can be mimicking the pain. A quick ultrasound using a bladder scanner will confirm whether or not the bladder is full.

“With this small ultrasound machine, we can assess how much volume is in the bladder,” Aegard said.

However, the current bladder scanner is getting old and worn out from daily use. Aegard said that should it break, the next step is to go to another department to borrow one. But that takes time – time that leaves the patient squirming in pain and takes staff out of the Emergency Department. Ideally, the Emergency Department needs to have at least one working bladder scanner on the floor at all times. More than one would be even better.

Thanks to your Thunder Bay 50/50 Draw purchases, the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation helped purchase another dedicated unit for the Emergency Department. Aegard said that thanks to advances in technology, the new one is more than simply a replacement.

“The new unit is very user-friendly,” Aegard said. This bladder scanner features a touchscreen and provides much clearer images. “With the old unit, you can tell with training roughly how much volume is in the bladder. But this one uses on-screen software that highlights where the bladder is and can even calculate how much volume there is. It reduces any risk of misinterpretation.”

In fact, the bladder scanner won’t be a replacement at all. The Emergency Department will keep the old unit for as long as it keeps working.

“It’s a large and busy department,” Aegard said. “Sometimes it will already be in use or not where you expect it to be. This will make it faster and easier, which of course is better for the patient.”

Once the bladder scan confirms there is too much urine in the bladder, nurses can catheterize the patient. It provides immediate symptom relief while doctors can figure out what’s causing the problem. However, catheterization is an invasive procedure, which is why staff in Emerge want to be 100% sure of what’s happening first.

“The bladder scanner is a quick and easy tool to use. It’s nice to have a second one available for when our patients need it.”

The Thunder Bay 50/50 Draw funds vital equipment at the Hospital like this new bladder scanner for Emerge. It’s just one example of how your ticket purchases are making a difference to patient care every day, allowing the Foundation to Do More Faster.

What’s the current Grand Prize at today? Find out right now and buy your tickets at the Thunder Bay 50/50 Store at Intercity or online at: thunderbay5050.ca