(Humboldt, Calif. – April 7, 2017) St. Joseph Hospital has purchased a new Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS),
becoming the first and only hospital in the area to offer this technology
thanks to the generous donations from the community to the St. Joseph
Hospital Foundation.
This minimally-invasive device helps pulmonologists take a closer look
at the lungs and chest to evaluate enlarged lymph nodes, identify chest
infections, diagnose noncancerous inflammatory diseases like sarcoidosis
(that may look like cancer in initial scans), detect lymphoma and determine
the stage of lung cancer. According to the 2014 Cancer Care
Community Needs Assessment, 643 cases of lung and bronchus cancer were diagnosed in Humboldt, Del
Norte and Trinity County, a higher incidence rate than for California
as a whole.
“This technology will enhance and expand our medical staff’s
ability to provide the best quality of care, as well as quickly and more
accurately diagnosis cancers, without the need for patients to leave Humboldt
County,” said David O’Brien, MD, President, St. Joseph Health,
Humboldt County.
The technology consists of an ultrasound device attached to a thin, malleable
instrument (a bronchoscope). During the procedure, the patient is placed
under local anesthetic and the physician guides the bronchoscope into
the patient’s mouth and down the trachea. The ultrasound device
takes real-time images and displays them on a monitor in the operating
room. The physician can pass a very thin needle (a transbronchial needle
aspiration) down the bronchoscope to take a sample of the lung tissue
or lymph nodes for further testing. By inserting a small ultrasound probe
(a radial EBUS probe) down the bronchoscope, the physician can confirm
the ideal location for sampling legions in the periphery of the lungs
that are harder to reach.
Long Le, MD, FCCP, a pulmonologist with St. Joseph Health Medical Group, is a
physician who is trained to use the specialized ultrasound. According
to Dr. Le, this new option leaves less scarring and is a good option for
patients who may have already been treated for lung cancer, but may not
be able to tolerate the more invasive mediastinoscopy, which requires
incisions into the neck or chest.
“In the case of lung cancer, this technology is critical because
it not only diagnoses a cancer is present, it can accurately tell us the
stage of the cancer. This information will guide our treatment plan for
the patient and help us determine whether radiation or chemotherapy is
best, before resorting to surgery, which may have a longer recovery time,”
said Dr. Le.
Private philanthropy provided 100 percent of the funds to purchase the
EBUS and related equipment, totaling $448,000. The Foundation received
gifts ranging from $5-$50,000 to purchase the technology, with the largest
single donation of $50,000 made by Patricia Kelly.
“Having the support of the Humboldt community is amazing,”
said Paul McGinty, Vice President of Philanthropy, St. Joseph Health,
Humboldt County. “Personal giving coupled with world-class technology
and local physician expertise is a great example of how we continue to
come together for the good of the community.” With local access
to this technology, patients will be able to stay close to home and receive
accurate diagnosis faster than ever before.
For more information about the Endobronchial Ultrasound at St. Joseph Hospital,
please visit
www.stjoehumboldt.org/pulmonology.
About St. Joseph Hospital
St. Joseph Hospital has been serving the health care needs of Humboldt
County since 1920. Comprised of two campuses, St. Joseph Hospital and
the General Hospital campus are located within a quarter mile of each
other in Eureka. SJH offers comprehensive services including emergency,
cardiac services in The Heart Institute, an accredited Cancer Program,
Women's and Children's Services in the Childbirth Center (including
Pediatric Care and the only Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nursery
(NICU) on the North Coast), Neurosurgery, and Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine.