Services & Procedures
Baxter Regional Family Clinic has a wide variety of procedures available
to our patients that can be performed in the clinic, including:
- Preventive & Primary Healthcare
- Acute & Chronic disease management
- In house X-Ray and CLIA approved laboratory
- Weight loss management
- Comprehensive preventative screening
- Electrocardiograms
- Pulse Oximetry
- Ear lavage
- Drug Screening
- School, Sports and Work Physical exams
- Skin lesion Cryosurgery
- Department of Transportation Examinations (DOT)
Electrocardiography
Electrocardiography is a transthoracic (across the thorax or chest) interpretation
of the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time, as detected
by electrodes attached to the outer surface of the skin and recorded by
a device external to the body. The recording produced by this noninvasive
procedure is termed as electrocardiogram (also ECG or EKG). An electrocardiogram
(ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart. ECG
is used to measure the rate and regularity of heartbeats as well as the
size and position of the chambers, the presence of any damage to the heart,
and the effects of drugs or devices used to regulate the heart.
Pulse Oximetry
Pulse Oximetry is a non-invasive method allowing the monitoring of the
oxygenation of a patient's hemoglobin. A sensor is placed on a thin
part of the patient's body, usually a fingertip or earlobe, or in
the case of an infant, across a foot. Light of two different wavelengths
is passed through the patient to a photodetector. The changing absorbance
at each of the wavelengths is measured, allowing determination of the
absorbances due to the pulsing arterial blood alone, excluding venous
blood, skin, bone, muscle, fat, and (in most cases) fingernail polish.
With NIRS it is possible to measure both oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin
on a peripheral scale (possible on both brain and muscle).
Ear Lavage
Ear Lavage is the process of flushing the external ear canal with sterile
water or sterile saline. It is used to treat patients who complain of
foreign body or cerumen (ear wax) impaction. The purpose of ear lavage
is to remove earwax that is obstructing the ear canal or to remove a foreign
object lodged in the ear canal. Ear lavage is most commonly performed
on those who experience a wax buildup that has impaired hearing and irritated
the outer ear canal.
Drug Screening
A drug test is a technical analysis of a biological specimen – for
example urine, hair, blood, sweat, or oral fluid / saliva – to determine
the presence or absence of specified parent drugs or their metabolites.
Major uses of drug testing are to detect the presence of performance enhancing
steroids in sport or for drugs prohibited by laws, such as cannabis, cocaine
and heroin.
Spirometry Testing
Pulmonary function testing is a valuable tool for evaluating the respiratory
system, representing an important adjunct to the patient history, various
lung imaging studies, and invasive testing such as bronchoscopy and open-lung
biopsy. Insight into underlying pathophysiology can often be gained by
comparing the measured values for pulmonary function tests obtained on
a patient at any particular point with normative values derived from population
studies. The percentage of predicted normal is used to grade the severity
of the abnormality. Practicing clinicians must become familiar with pulmonary
function testing because it is often used in clinical medicine for evaluating
respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea and cough, for stratifying preoperative
risk, and for diagnosing common diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease.
Before a spirogram can be meaningfully interpreted, one needs to inspect
the graphic data (the volume-time curve and the flow-volume loop) to ascertain
whether the study meets certain well-defined acceptability and reproducibility
standards. Tests that fail to meet these standards can provide useful
information about minimum levels of lung function, but, in general, they
should be interpreted cautiously. The interpretive strategy usually involves
establishing a pattern of abnormality (obstructive, restrictive, or mixed),
grading the severity of the abnormality, and assessing trends over time.
Various algorithms are available. Automated spirometry systems usually
have built-in software that can generate a preliminary interpretation,
especially for spirometry; however, algorithms for other pulmonary function
studies are not as well established and necessitate appropriate clinical
correlation and physician oversight.
Sports Physicals
Most teens who participate in sports are anxious to get in the game. For
their safety, however, many schools require a sports physical, also called
a pre-participation exam (PPE), before an athlete is cleared to play.
In the United States, millions of athletes — including teens —
undergo sports physicals before they can begin competing.
Sports physicals are intended to determine if an athlete is healthy enough
to participate in sports and to help minimize the risk of sports-related
injuries. Athletes are seeking medical clearance so they can train and
compete safely.
The physical is designed to identify any high-risk disorder or condition
that might affect an athlete's ability to play. The exam might also
help determine the athlete's safe level of activity, which can have
an impact on performance. If an existing injury or potential problem is
identified during the sports exam, action can be taken to avoid future
problems and to rehabilitate an existing injury.
The extent of the physical varies among doctors, but the goals of the
exam are generally the same. Among the goals of the exam are to evaluate:
- Athlete's general health
- Athlete's current fitness level
- Any existing injuries
- Any condition that might increase the athlete's risk of injury
- Athlete's level of physical maturity