When running any kind of medical practice, it is essential to give patients the most information possible about what their needs in order to make an informed decision. Second to that, you want to make sure you have the best equipment available to ensure everything goes smoothly. This is where Potenza HRC comes in. If you are searching for ‘medical supplies near me’ in the Miami area, we are here to help. If you are a healthcare professional looking for a new gastroscope for your practice or if you’re a prospective patient looking for more information about the procedure, we’ve got you covered.
How to Tell if You Need a Gastroscopy
If you add gastroscopy to your ‘medical supplies near me’ search, many informational sites will pop up with a lot of information; much of it will be the same from place to place. In any case, here are some of the basics. There are many ailments with which it might be smart to have a gastroscopy. The biggest reason to have a gastroscopy, is to check for damage to the esophagus, stomach, and the first part of the intestine or the “duodenum.”
A few of the triggering factors that could urge your doctor to scheduled a gastroscopy could be:
- Chronic or recurring nausea, heartburn, or vomiting
- A Check-up after surgery
- Stomach pain
- Trouble swallowing
- Unexplainable weight loss
- Seek out a possible peptic ulcer
- Check for cancer in the esophagus or stomach
What is a Gastroscope procedure?
The scope itself is a flexible tube that has a light and a camera at the end and can send images to a screen in real time. Along with taking pictures and video, the scope can also be used to suck out air and fluids if need be, and it can also be used to take tissue samples.
Once it is time for the procedure, the patient is given a sedative; because of this they will not be allowed to drive afterward for up to 12 to 24 hours depending on the level of sedation and the medications used. The patient typically lays on their left side, and a guard or ring is placed in their mouth to ensure they do not bite the scope. As the scope is inserted, the patient has to swallow to help the scope move through the esophagus, it is then pushed through to the stomach and beginning of the intestinal tract.
Some of the typical things the doctor will look for include:
- Redness
- Inflammation
- Bleeding
- Varicose veins
- Stomach ulcers
- Tumors
- Unusually narrow passages
The procedure itself is fairly common; it lasts 5 to 10 minutes and is usually done without complication. There are some risks that your doctor will explain before the procedure, but there are things you may have to do in preparation of the procedure including fasting and stopping certain medications beforehand. For example, if you are on an anti-clotting medication like Coumadin, it would have to be stopped a few days prior to the procedure to avoid internal bleeding.
Contact Us
If you are a curious patient or a healthcare professional in the Miami area who found us during a search for ‘medical supplies near me’, if you have more questions about the specifics our gastroscope, call or visit Potenza HRC today for more information.