Anesthesia technicians (left to right) Staci Dembski, Jo Apilado and Sarah Teitgen have been specially trained to use the new equipment.

NorthBay Medical Center now has an extremely sophisticated piece of equipment that is helping surgeons provide the highest level of care to their most critically ill patients, thanks to a grant from the Solano Community Foundation (SCF).

Called a CASMED Fore-Sight Tissue Oximeter, the device continuously monitors oxygen levels in the brain during surgery, according to Filip Roos, M.D., director of Cardiac Anesthesia for NorthBay Healthcare.

Equipment is helping provide the highest level of care to the most critically ill patients.

The brain is extremely sensitive to variations and deficiencies in oxygen levels. “The oximeter is so sensitive, anesthesiologists can see in real time if there are any dangerous fluctuations,” Dr. Roos explains. “We can then make instant adjustments and greatly reduce the risk of post-operative brain injury and prolonged recovery time.”

The hospital already has one of these devices, but it is permanently affixed in the Cardiovascular Operating Room. Having a second device mounted on a portable table allows surgical teams to quickly move it to the suite where it is most urgently needed.

The grant request was partially funded by the SCF’s Leslie Anderson and Virginia May Anderson Fund. NorthBay Healthcare Foundation made up the balance with funds raised during the NorthBay Guild’s Golf & Tennis Classic.