Mercy Announces Expansion of Endoscopy Center with Addition of New State-of-the-Art Motility and Breath Testing Suite

Mercy Medical Center has announced the opening of the new Motility and Breath Testing Suite, part of an 8,200 plus square foot expansion of the hospital's Endoscopy Center, located on the second floor of Mercy's renowned Mary Catherine Bunting Center.

According to Paul J. Thuluvath, M.D., Chief, Division of Gastroenterology and Medical Director for The Melissa L. Posner Institute for Digestive Health & Liver Disease at Mercy, the opening of The Motility and Breath Testing Suite is a "significant step forward" in Mercy's on-going efforts to diagnose and treat patients dealing with difficult gastrointestinal issues.

"Few hospitals offer motility and breath testing services. We are therefore extremely excited to add these advanced diagnostic testing modalities within Mercy's Endoscopy Center for the benefit of our patients," Dr. Thuluvath said.

The new suite includes 10 GI preparation and recovery rooms, eight breathing testing chairs, testing for upper and lower motility, a biofeedback room, a smart pill room, multiple exam rooms and offices.

Breath tests are done to determine if there are excessive bacteria in the small bowel, to diagnose lactose and fructose intolerance, among other issues. Common problems studied include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic bloating and gas, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea and fecal incontinence.

Motility testing is performed by clinicians to see if a patient's gastrointestinal tract is contracting and relaxing properly.

"Motility issues like chronic constipation, recurrent vomiting and bloating, weight loss, difficulty or pain with swallowing, can be challenging to diagnose, and therefore frustrating for patients who seek to ease their symptoms. Our expanded center gives us the tools we need to bring relief to our patients," said Bryan Curtin, M.D., MHSc, board certified gastroenterologist and Director of The Center for Neurogastroenterology and GI Motility at Mercy, a member of the Digestive Health Institute.

In addition to the new motility and breath testing, Mercy Endoscopy performs GI and liver procedures.

The state-of-the-art Bunting Endoscopy suite has 20 private patient rooms and five procedure rooms and includes the Spyglass and Image Stream imaging technologies and specialized GI procedure staff.

The Melissa L. Posner Institute for Digestive Health & Liver Disease is known for top doctors and renowned GI specialists with world-class expertise, offering patients comprehensive diagnosis, treatment and care in a compassionate setting.