LVH-Schuylkill donates ultrasound to hospital in Ukraine
Jul. 24—POTTSVILLE — An ultrasound that played a crucial role in treatment at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill is destined to aid military personnel and civilians at medical facilities in war-torn Ukraine, the hospital announced.
A GE Sonosite S-Nerve machine, now on its way to Ukraine, is expected to be in operation within 30 days.
"We're very happy that the hospital was able to make this equipment available to help people in need," said Dr. Ivan Grynyshin, a native of Ukraine, who has been an anesthesiologist at LVH-Schuylkill for 20 years.
The equipment became available when LVH-Schuylkill replaced it with an updated version.
The ultrasound is in good condition, Grynyshin said, despite its age.
An S-Nerve machine allows doctors to visualize a nerve and its surrounding structures so they can be very precise in where to place a local anesthetic.
It is particularly well suited for the kind of injuries associated with warfare.
"Injuries to the arms and legs are among the most common being seen in Ukrainian hospitals," said Dr. Carmella Shemansik, an anesthesiologist at LVH-Schuylkill. "An ultrasound plays an important role in helping to treat these injuries."
For quite some time, Grynyshin had been looking to acquire much needed medical devices to send to a physician classmate at Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University in Ukraine. He still has family and friends in Ukraine.
"It was a wonderful coincidence to learn that the hospital was replacing this ultrasound equipment," Grynyshin said. "The war in Ukraine has obviously posed many challenges to its health care system, and patients are being cared for in a broad range of settings from academic facilities to temporary field hospitals."
Contact the writer: rdevlin@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6007
