Marshall Medical Center brings in new technology

Marshall Medical Center in Placerville has several new technological advancements that are on the rise. With the addition of a new cardiac monitoring system, the Da Vinci Robot, an electronic patient tracking system and more, Placerville residents can receive advanced care without traveling very far.

Out of these new technologies, the Da Vinci Robot is a device used for general surgeries on the bladder, kidneys, prostate, uterus and other similar organs. The machine allows doctors to perform more precise operations because they can manipulate their movements through the machine.

“It is less invasive than open surgeries,” said Kathy Krejci, the Chief Nursing Officer at Marshall Medical Center. “The device also gives the patient a quicker recovery time and decreases the amount of blood lost during operation.”

The Da Vinci Robot has been around for about 12 years, but it is a new commodity for the operating rooms here in Placerville. This new addition prevents residents from having to travel to Mercy Folsom or Barton in order to have their surgery, which used to be the only two locations somewhat in the area that have this device.

Aside from a new surgical innovation, Marshall Medical Center also just spent about $2 million in order to install a new cardiac monitoring system.

Before this system, there were not enough central monitoring systems for doctors to review and watch the heart rhythms of their patients.

“We recognized that not having enough units was an ongoing problem,” Krejci said. “We decided to bring in more telemetry capabilities and they are now placed in our Emergency Room, Intensive Care Unit and Operating Rooms.”

This system expansion allows physicians to monitor their patients from afar in places such as their home or office.

Adding to the list of new advancements, the new Emergency Department in Marshall’s new South Wing now has an electronic patient tracking system.

This system monitors where patients are as they move through the Emergency Department and helps nurses with the flow of assigning patient rooms. Also, the system notifies doctors and patients about the status of their lab work and when certain results are available.

“We’re aware of things more quickly now with this system,” Krejci said.

Also, there will now be an MRI added into the old Emergency Room. Previously, there was only an MRI available three times a week that was located in a trailer. Patients would have to travel outside to the trailer for this procedure, but now there will be an MRI there all the time and they won’t have to leave the building.

“We are very focused on maintaining high tech, state-of-the-art opportunities,” Krejci said.

Marshall Medical Center is located at 1100 Marshall Way in Placerville. For more information about the hospital or their new innovations, please visit marshallmedical.org.