Robotic Technology Reduces Recovery Time, Pain and Blood Loss Dan Slagle is a spry, energetic 74-year-old with “a stubborn streak” that he says ultimately got in the way of his being able to live a normal life. “If others are willing to listen to my story,” he said, “hopefully they will avoid what I went…
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Physician Loves the Variety The love Melissa Loja, M.D., has for medicine is not in vain — it’s in vein, quite literally. And arteries. And all the amazing technology she has at her disposal to make life better for her patients. As part of the NorthBay Center for Heart and Vascular, she deals with any and all…
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Katherine Bergey was just 11 years old when she had her first epileptic seizure. It was a classic grand mal seizure with violent muscle contractions. Her family says she didn’t have any more seizures like that one. Instead, over time, she experienced smaller events that would happen while she slept involving strange motions and sounds….
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If you have ever undergone a colonoscopy, fought heartburn, or suffered from an ulcer, you’ve likely been introduced to gastroenterology — the study of the function and diseases of the digestive system.ABOVE: The team of experts at NorthBay Gastroenterology includes (seated, left to right) Michael Krier, M.D.; Nazia Hasan, M.D.; Mounzer Al Samman, M.D.; and (standing) Farhat…
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When NorthBay Medical Center opened eight state-of-the-art surgical suites in its newly built North Wing last fall, it began providing patients with access to technology, talent and surgical equipment found nowhere else in Solano County. The suites are specially equipped to handle trauma, neurological and cardiovascular cases, but now they offer more. NorthBay expanded into…
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The North Wing at NorthBay Medical Center features advanced imaging services with the most up-to-date equipment. ABOVE: Radiologic Technologist Melanie Adams positions the Diagnostic Imaging Department’s new fluoroscopic imaging equipment (above), which displays continuous X-rays on a monitor. Photo credit: Fred Greaves The inpatient Diagnostic Imaging Department on the first floor of the new wing…
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PACU is the Place for Patient Transitions Patients awaiting surgery or recovering from post-surgical anesthesia will spend some time in a post-anesthesia care unit, or PACU, under the watchful eyes of nurses whose main tasks are to manage airways and alleviate pain. ABOVE: Patients recover in bright, spacious areas in the new post-anesthesia care unit….
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The pièce de résistance in Surgical Suite No. 7 arrived in November and promises to help NorthBay surgeons deliver the most advanced techniques for patients in the years to come. It’s the da Vinci Surgical System, which offers surgeons an advanced set of instruments to use in performing robotic-assisted, minimally invasive surgery, via a console…
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Rare is the time you’d want to be wheeled into a surgical suite, but if fate happens to bring you to one of the eight operating rooms in NorthBay Medical Center’s new North Wing, know that they are all filled with the latest equipment, technology and talent found nowhere else in Solano County. ABOVE: J….
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Heart Failure? There’s an App to Prevent That! For Rio Vista resident Robie Williams, hospital stays were becoming a regular part of her life last fall. Every month, the symptoms of her heart failure and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) would flare and she would end up in the hospital where caregivers would work to…
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“I never thought I would get cancer. I never, ever thought it was possible. It doesn’t run in my family, and I didn’t feel a lump,” says Diana Muehlhausen, 65, of Rio Vista. ABOVE: Diana Muehlhausen and husband, Jay, signal OK and Zero for how she’s feeling and the fact that she’s cancer-free, thanks to…
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Germ-Killing Robot Puts UV Light to Work Two germ-killing robots are now helping disinfect patient rooms at NorthBay Medical Center and NorthBay VacaValley Hospital. Called Tru-D, a catchy nickname for “Total Room Ultraviolet Disinfection,” the 5-foot, 5-inch tall robots use ultraviolet (UV) light to eliminate harmful pathogens. Tru-D doesn’t replace the staff that cleans hospital…
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Full Array of Imaging Options The addition of a $1.5 million state-of-the-art Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner on the NorthBay VacaValley Hospital campus in March was the final piece in the puzzle that defines NorthBay Healthcare’s complete array of diagnostic imaging equipment. The MRI also performs a wider range of exams, from bariatric to breast…
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Ten years ago, a patient had to leave Solano County for open heart surgery. Or treatment for a stroke or brain cancer. Or complex surgery for a broken pelvis. Or a damaged eyeball. The list went on and on. But not anymore. While mega organizations often send patients out of the county to their larger…
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