Hillsdale Hospital is continuing our focus on improving patient care by expanding our line of surgical services. This ensures more patients can get the care they need, closer to home — a more convenient and comfortable healthcare solution.
We have had multiple exciting updates to our surgical services, from new technology to new providers, and we’re thrilled to see how these changes help us further enhance the patient experience at Hillsdale Hospital.
Within the last year, the hospital has also started offering multiple new surgical procedures. These include neurological spine procedures, which stabilize the vertebral bones and spinal joints, as well as relieve any pressure on the spinal nerves. Spinal pressure is often a result of conditions like spinal instability, bone spurs, herniated discs, scoliosis or spinal tumors. In 2023, Hillsdale started performing fusion endovascular aneurysm repairs (EVAR), a minimally invasive procedure that’s used to manage abdominal aortic aneurysms and prevent them from bursting. Hillsdale also added procedures to remove large kidney stones, Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL), that cannot pass through the bladder.
“When we started performing the EVAR and PCNL procedures in July and August 2023, respectively, this was our first time doing so,” shared Lauren Schneider, Clinical Manager of Surgical Services. “Our staff did an amazing job caring for these patients, and we’re excited to be able to perform these services for patients who need them, rather than having to refer them somewhere else.”
At Hillsdale Hospital, we are dedicated to excellence in healthcare, and we believe this is achieved through continually improving our service offerings. By adding in these new surgical procedures, we’re now able to better care for the community’s health.
Soon, we will have an Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS) machine to perform EBUS bronchoscopies, which show the inside of a patient’s airways for diagnostics and provide a better understanding of how to proceed with the proper treatment.
EBUS bronchoscopies will be completed by our Hillsdale pulmonologists in the same fashion as a traditional bronchoscopy, but with an additional scope that holds a video camera with an ultrasound probe attached. This creates images of a patient’s lungs, as well as nearby lymph nodes, to better locate and evaluate areas that may indicate a pulmonary or respiratory problem. With ultrasound technology, an EBUS bronchoscopy is even more accurate than a standard bronchoscopy.
“This technology will be great for people in our community who have certain lung disorders, including inflammation, infections or cancer,” Schneider explained. “It will give the pulmonologist better tools to diagnose and treat these issues. We want to better service our local community with this latest and greatest technology, so we can be even more accurate in diagnosing lung disorders.”
Unlike some of the other innovative technologies that have been introduced to Hillsdale over the years, the EBUS machine is being funded by congressionally directed funds on behalf of our local Congressman Tim Walberg. These funds are directed to Hillsdale Hospital through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and should be received by the end of the year, so the hospital can roll out this new pulmonary procedure in early 2024.
“At Hillsdale, we treat our patients with respect and as if they are part of our family,” said Schneider. “We understand that surgery can be a scary experience and want to ease that burden. I believe being part of a small rural hospital gives us the advantage of getting to know our patients on a personal level, yet we are still able to provide a wide range of services that people may not think possible for such a small hospital. From general surgery and cancer care, to orthopedic, OB-GYN, urology, ENT, vascular and spine procedures — we’re able to provide all these services, right here in town.”
Learn more about Vascular Care and Urology at Hillsdale Hospital, or call (517) 437- 5350 to speak with our Hillsdale Surgical Group.
