HEALTH BRIEFS
Sacred Heart offers new CT scan

Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola is the first in the area to provide a new, more accurate diagnostic test called CT enterography. The test allows earlier detection of intestinal disorders including Crohn's disease and other inflammatory bowel disease.

The precise cause of these diseases is unknown, but they lead to inflammation of the inside lining of the gut. This, in turn, can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, and other complications such as ulcers, bleeding, scarring and even cancer.

"By using high speed CT and a specially formulated oral drink called Volumen(r), the traditional methods for diagnosing and evaluating patients with small bowel disease are becoming obsolete," said Dr. Alka Wells, a radiologist with Pensacola Radiology Consultants at Sacred Heart Hospital. "CT enterography provides physicians with important information for not only the initial diagnosis of patients, but in follow-up care and evaluating possible complications of small bowel disease."

Currently, evaluation of the approximately 21 feet of intestine is reliant on x-ray techniques, because gastroenterology scopes cannot reach this portion of the body.

Local physicians from Sacred Heart Hospital recently attended a seminar on CTE presented by Dr. Mark Baker from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He has been instrumental in the research and development of CTE. He noted "what used to take three or more hours of waiting in the x-ray department can be cut in half. CTE also causes less patient discomfort than the old methods."

Dr. Wells added, "In my experience, CTE makes for a much more tolerable experience for sick patients. In addition, these specialized CT scans have increased accuracy and can show other diseases in other organs, helping doctors treat patients' symptoms."

For more information on inflammatory bowel disease, visit online to www.ccfa.org or www.sacred-heart.org.

GoldenCare opens the doors of Lakeview Center

Gulf Breeze Hospital GoldenCare will present a seminar on services and programs available at the Lakeview Center June 26 beginning at 7:30 a.m. in the hospital's cafeteria.

People handle stresses of life in different ways. While some meet their challenges head-on, others may feel unable to cope. Lakeview Center offers more than 50 treatment and vocational programs to provide solutions for children, teens, adults and seniors. For reservations, please call (850) 469-7897. Red Cross holds safety training

Health and safety training from the American Red Cross is available in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton Counties.

Escambia County classes include:

Standard First Aid with CPR, Adult, Child, Infant - June 9, 18 and 20, Standard First Aid with CPR (Adult) - June 8, 12 and 14, 16, 26and 28, Adult CPR - June 7, 13 and 27, CPR- Adult, Infant and Child - June 8, 19 and 21, CPRChild and Infant - June 8, Standard First Aid - June 15, CPR/AED for Professional Rescuer - June 7 and 23, Pet First Aid - June 16, Basic HIV/Aids - June 11, Fundamentals of Instructor Training - June 25, Lay Responder First Aid, CPR/AED - June 25, 26 and 29.

Santa Rosa County classes include:

Standard First Aid with CPR Adult, Infant and Child - June 23, Babysitter Training - June 30.

NAS Pensacola classes include:

Standard First Aid with CPR Adult, Infant and Child - June 9, Pet First Aid - June 23

For more information or to sign up for a class, please contact customer service at 800- 773-7620 or at our web site www.northwestflorida.redcross. org.