SURGERY CENTER DEDICATED USE STARTS TO FLOURISH IN FIRST MONTH OPEN.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer LANCASTER - Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Hospital officials Tuesday dedicated a $3 million, 13,270-square-foot outpatient surgery Outpatient Surgery, also referred to as ambulatory surgery or same-day surgery, is surgery that does not require an overnight hospital stay. The term “outpatient” arises from the fact that surgery patients may go home do not need an overnight hospital center that it co-owns with a physicians' group. Nearly 50 doctors have signed up to use the Regional Valley Surgery Center, where nearly 100 surgical procedures Surgical procedures have long and possibly daunting names. The meaning of many surgical procedure names can often be understood if the name is broken into parts. For example in splenectomy, "ectomy" is a suffix meaning the removal of a part of the body. "Splene-" means spleen. have been performed since the opening in early September. ``This center will save lives,'' hospital board President Steve Fox said. ``This is a shining example of public and private cooperation.'' Any doctors, including oral surgeons and chiropractors, may schedule procedures at the center, and this makes the center unique in the region, Fox said. The physicians' group, which has 40 partners, owns 55 percent of the center, and the hospital owns 45 percent, said Donna Vestal vestal (vĕs`təl), in Roman religion, priestess of Vesta. The vestals were first two, then four, then six in number. While still little girls, they were chosen from prominent Roman families to serve for 30 (originally 5) years, during which , the center's administrator. She expects the center to serve 4,000 to 6,000 patients annually. ``There was a need for more medical care,'' Vestal said. ``The Palmdale hospital closed, leaving only two hospitals.'' The center has facilities for oral surgery, gastrointestinal procedures, cataract implants, knee and shoulder arthroscopy Arthroscopy Definition Arthroscopy is the examination of a joint, specifically, the inside structures. The procedure is performed by inserting a specifically designed illuminated device into the joint through a small incision. , bunion bunion, swelling or thickening around the first joint of the big toe. The toe is forced inward and compresses the other toes. The fluid-filled sac, or bursa, in the toe joint becomes inflamed (a condition called bursitis), which may lead to pain, deformity, and an surgeries, laparoscopy laparoscopy or peritoneoscopy Procedure for inspecting the abdominal cavity using a laparoscope; also surgery requiring use of a laparoscope. Laparoscopes use fibre-optic lights and small video cameras to show tissues and organs on a monitor. , hernia repairs and other out-patient surgery. Epidural blocks and pain-management treatments are available. There are four operating rooms, a gastrointestinal lab, a room for special procedures and a recovery room designed for as many as 11 patients simultaneously. ``Procedures can be done there more cost-effectively,'' said Paul Allemeier, the hospital's vice president of planning, marketing and development. The facility has 11 employees. Dr. Tim Hadaya, the medical director, said the center is a model for future ventures. ``This facility will be for all of us. Without the hospital's cooperation and board members' participation, we could not have the center today,'' Hadaya said. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Donna Vestal, right, administrator of the new Regional Valley Surgery Center in Lancaster, and Dr. Chitta Thiagarajah admire the recovery room in which nurse Sheila Radar, seated, works. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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