(St. Louis)  Tenet Saint Louis’ Des Peres Hospital today announced the opening of its new Endoscopy Suite.  Designed with the input of physicians, nurses and other caregivers, the new suite includes three identical procedure rooms, dictation stations with computerized reporting and a centrally-located nurses’ station that gives staff view of the procedure rooms and patient bays.  The suite also offers a dedicated waiting area for patient families.  The entire build-out and furnishing process took approximately 9 months and cost more than $1.4 million.

“This new Endoscopy Suite was designed with ease of use in mind – for the patient and for our physicians and staff,” said Michele Meyer, chief executive officer for Des Peres Hospital. “All so that we can deliver a high level of service and make a patient’s procedure as comfortable as possible.” 

For example, the nurses’ stations have plenty of elevated outside counter space as most of their work is done standing; the wall outlets for medical gases are higher than originally planned – at bed height – so that caregivers to not have to bend down to administer, and the sinks and counter tops in new soiled utility room are placed higher than normal to minimize stress to the backs of staff.  What’s more, the suite is adjacent to the hospital’s laboratory, allowing for prompt processing of specimens.

The 5,000 square foot renovation included the addition of a new 10-bay Outpatient Preparation and Recovery area that will service all outpatient procedures.

An endoscope is a medical device consisting of a camera mounted on a long flexible tube that allows the physician to view the inside of certain organs. Small instruments can be used to take samples of suspicious tissues through the endoscope.  There are many types of endoscope, and they are named in relation to the organs or areas they explore.  At Des Peres Hospital, physicians perform tests on the following: lung (bronchoscopy); colon/large bowel (colonoscopy); esophagus, stomach and duodenum/first part of the small intestine (EGD or Esophagogastroduodenoscopy); bile and/or pancreatic duct (ERCP or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography); rectum/sigmoid colon (sigmoidoscopy) and heart (TEE or transesophageal echocardiogram).  

Des Peres Hospital is a 167-bed community hospital located at 2345 Dougherty Ferry Road in Des Peres, Mo.  Des Peres Hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of St. Louis County for 30 years. The hospital provides quality medical and surgical care through a wide variety of services and programs, including senior care, heart care, orthopedics and emergency care. 

Des Peres Hospital is part of Tenet Saint Louis, which also includes Forest Park Hospital, Saint Louis University Hospital, St. Alexius Hospital-Broadway Campus and St. Alexius Hospital-Jefferson Campus.  To learn more about Des Peres Hospital, visit www.despereshospital.com.

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