SVMC donation

The Interventional and Perioperative Services Departments at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center received a special gift from donors Bob and Anne Farrara of Eagle Bridge, N.Y. The couple donated $10,000 for the purchase of an Arrow Vascular Positioning System (VPS) G4 Device from Teleflex. The machine expedites the placement of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter lines—a long thin tube inserted into a vein in the heart. PICC lines remain in place long term and provide clinicians convenient access to deliver intravenous (IV) antibiotics, nutrition, or medications or to draw blood over several encounters without the need for a needle stick.

"Everyone’s heart anatomy is a little different," said registered nurse Tanya Cowder, SVMC's senior director of Perioperative and Interventional Services. "Just as a GPS system helps you navigate your car to your destination, this new technology helps clinicians place the PICC catheter tip in the optimal location for treatment."

Before this technology was available at SVMC, a radiologic technologist would need to take a chest X-ray, and a radiologist would need to read it in order to determine catheter tip placement. This machine uses a sophisticated biosensor, rather than X-rays. It allows nurses with specialized training to place PICC lines and validate that the placement is accurate. The technology eliminates both the delay in initiation of therapy and the patients' exposure to the radiation X-rays emit.

The Farraras have donated to SVHC for many years. A number of their gifts have supported equipment needs. "SVMC is a great place," Bob Farrara said. "When I am here, I feel like I am home. The staff are caring."

Christmas tree pickup

Christmas tree pickup in the month of January in the city of Pittsfield will accompany the regular trash pickup schedule. For more information, call 413-499-9330.