Spirometry Laboratory at Linden Hospital Complex celebrates its first year

Nov 20, 2017 News

By Enid Joaquin

Last Wednesday marked one year since the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) established its spirometry laboratory .
Dr Michael Marks, who has been working there almost from its establishment, said that because of the Town’s dusty atmosphere, there is a high number of patients seeking diagnosis.
Presently, the Spirometry unit is staffed by Dr Marks and a nurse, and clinics are held twice per week.
He noted that training for staff will be ongoing, with personnel travelling to Georgetown once per month to facilitate this.
Dr Marks said one of the challenges being faced is a shortage of drugs to treat patients.
Medical Superintendent of the LHC Dr. Steve Mark, on reminiscing on the opening of the Laboratory one year ago, said that it was a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Public Health, the Canadian Medical team, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and Linden Hospital Complex.
Dr Marks said that the objective of establishing the unit at the LHC was to decentralise the service which formerly could only be accessed at the GPHC.
“Spirometry is a special test using computerised equipment to examine lung function and is also used to diagnose accurately certain respiratory diseases including asthma, emphezema, COPD, and can help differentiate between a respiratory condition versus a cardiac condition, because you can diagnose accurately.
“Many times persons come to the hospital saying they have asthma, when in reality they might not have asthma, but COPD or bronchitis…and it is only by conducting the test that we can determine what these patients are actually suffering from.
“This Department was set up to help in the holistic treatment of patients who were spending far too much time in the emergency room, for a simple condition that might have sometimes been misdiagnosed, before we established the unit.
“This department is multifunctional; it diagnoses, it treats, it educates and does follow-ups.
Since its establishment, there have been a few challenges Dr Marks said, but the Hospital is working to offset those and believes that once those are corrected, patient response would be better.
“That is why the team is back here now to assess where we are and what we need to do to improve the response from the community.
According to Dr. Marks, there is a high incidence of respiratory disease in Linden, because of high air pollution.
Marks is appealing to residents to continue to make use of the service offered at the Laboratory.
In recognition of the unit’s first anniversary, a few medical professionals visited the facility.
Among them were Canadian Lung Specialist, Robert Levy and Denroy Tudor, Coordinator of the International Desk of the Ministry of Public Health.
Dr. Levy who was present at the facility’s opening last year said that he has been working closely with a team of respiratory therapists, establishing an approach to managing lung disease, using chronic lung disease principles in Guyana.
He said that the first spirometry lab and programme was established at the GPHC just over four years ago.
The LHC is the only other medical institution in Guyana with a spirometry Laboratory and the project is a pilot after which other facilities are expected to be modeled.
Spirometry is a test that can help diagnose various lung conditions, using a device known as a spirometer. Breathing can be affected by lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pulmonary fibrosis and cystic fibrosis.)
Spirometry is also used to monitor the severity of some other lung conditions, and their response to treatment.
It is the most common of the lung function tests and examines how well your lungs work.
Though spirometer devices may look different depending on the company that produces them, they all measure the same thing. They all have a mouthpiece that you use to blow into the device. A doctor or nurse may ask a patient to blow into a spirometer.
During this process, a clip may be put on the patient’s nostrils.

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