Sunday, February 18, 2001

The Natchez Democrat

You might not know it, but Natchez is part of the &uot;stone

belt.&uot; The city is part of a region that has a higher incidence

of kidney stones, said Dr. James W. Langston, a urologist at Natchez

Community Hospital. One reason, he said, is that deydration is

more common in the South.

But Natchez Community a new piece of equipment that hospital

officials say will make it easier to treat kidney stones, a condition

Langston said is common among its patients.

&uot;If someone came into the emergency room now with kidney

stones, we could have them out in about three or four hours,&uot;

Langston said.

That’s opposed to the overnight stay patients often experienced

with the hospital’s previous technology, which was about 15 years

old.

The Holmium laser pulverizes kidney stones so that patients

can pass them. Because it is more precise, it lowers the risk

of damage to surrounding tissue. The laser is &uot;safer, more

efficient and involves less risk,&uot; said new Natchez Community

CEO David Ainsworth.

The new equipment, which cost about $63,000, is part of more

than $1 million in capital expenses at the hospital this year,

Ainsworth said.

Another new piece of equipment is an argon laser, used primarily

in gastroenterology.

&uot;All of this stuff makes the patient’s hospitalization

less, and the treatments more accurate and specific,&uot; Langston

said. &uot;It makes it easier for doctors to do their jobs.&uot;