Huron Regional Medical Center

Changing Outcomes through Innovative Treatments Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition – affecting more than 60 percent of men in their 60s – in which a man's prostate enlarges with age, causing troublesome urinary symptoms. While this condition is unrelated to prostate cancer and is not life threatening, it can negatively affect a man's quality of life. Small Procedure, Big Results The Food and Drug Administration approved a new treatment for BPH in September 2013: the UroLift System ® – a minimally invasive procedure in which a urologist places tiny transurethral implants to lift or hold the enlarged prostate tissue to alleviate pressure on the urethra and promote normal flow of urine. Unlike other BPH treatment options, the UroLift System neither cuts, heats or removes prostate tissue, nor does it compromise sexual function. Typically, patients can go home on the same day of the procedure and see rapid symptom relief. If you or a loved one are struggling with BPH and are looking for treatment alternatives to drugs or major surgery, talk with your physician about the UroLift System. John Robbins, MD, a visiting urologist at HRMC, is one of the few to offer this procedure to patients in South Dakota. Visit his profile using the Find-a-Doc feature at www.huronregional.org, or call (605) 352-6501 to make an appointment. Huron Regional Medical Center is among the first in South Dakota to offer a new minimally invasive procedure for men suffering from an enlarged prostate. swallowing function – allowing patients to eat, communicate and enjoy the things in life so many of us take for granted." During the 45-minute sessions, electrodes are placed on the skin at specific points on the patient's face or throat while feeding practice and other exercises are performed. Therapy sessions are repeated daily (or almost every day), until swallowing patterns have been restored to the desired level. "I experienced improvement after the first session," Ettswold says. "It gave me hope." "This therapy is powerful," explains Gohn. "When patients have no movement in the face or throat muscles, I can't do much to help. The electrical stimulation retracts the muscles, and that gives us a good start." For more information about VitalStim therapy, call HRMC's speech language department at (605) 353-6201 or talk with your healthcare provider. John Robbins, MD Electrical Stimulation Helps Return Movement and Function for Stroke Victim "The staff were concerned about Ettswold's ability to swallow medication, so I came in for a swallowing study," explains Kris Gohn, a certified speech-language therapist at HRMC."I began thinking at that point Bus might be a good candidate for VitalStim ® ." VitalStim is a noninvasive electrical stimulation therapy that re-educates the throat muscles needed for swallowing. HRMC purchased the portable electrotherapy system in November, and Gohn received specialized training to become certified in delivering the therapy to her patients. "Dr. Robert Hohm highly recommended the therapy for both the weakness in my face muscles as well as improving my ability to swallow," says Ettswold. "I had experienced TENS [transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation] therapy in the past, so that helped me to understand how it might work." "Before VitalStim, we used a combination of exercises – which provided improvement in some cases," Gohn says. "This therapy is far more effective in actually improving the On April 5, Olen "Bus" Ettswold, of Letcher, was drinking a soda when it suddenly started dribbling out of his mouth. His wife, an intensive care unit nurse, recognized this symptom of a stroke and rushed him to the emergency room at Huron Regional Medical Center. Kris Gohn, speech-language pathologist, works with Olen "Bus" Ettswold during a VitalStim therapy session. w w w. h u r o n r e g i o n a l . o r g welloneconnection 3

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