Full range of urology care is now available in Niagara County

Urologist, Dr. Brian Rambarran brings his special skills to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center

Yet again, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center (NFMMC) has proven that it is leading the field in providing superior care for the Niagara region.

As another example, and we have published many during the past year, there is the work of Dr. Brian Rambarran.

We bring this up in its proper place because the type of medicine Dr. Rambarran practices - urology- may be something that you or one of your family members may need one day, and before his association with NFMMC, many Niagara area residents had to go to Buffalo to get treatment, especially those suffering from cancer.

Urology, for those unfamiliar with the surgical specialty, deals with diseases of the male and female urinary tract and the male reproductive organs.

Although urology is classified as a surgical specialty, a knowledge of internal medicine, pediatrics, gynecology and other specialties is required by the urologist because of the wide variety of clinical problems encountered.

Dr. Rambarran is a charter member of a group of 22 urologists who call themselves Western New York Urology Associates and the group treats everything from pelvic health, incontinence, kidney stones, bladder issues, benign enlargement of the prostate, irritations of the prostate, prostatitis and urinary tract infections and, of course, cancer care.

Recently, the group opened an office in Cambria and their affiliation with NFMMC affords them full operating room privileges, giving them the ability to admit patients and take emergency room calls there as well.

With the arrival of Dr. Rambarran and his group, Niagara County residents have access to urologists trained in the latest techniques, especially robotics and laparoscopic procedures and, equally significant, for the first time these procedures can be performed in Niagara Falls, instead of Buffalo.

“We can provide cancer care right here at Niagara Falls Memorial,” Dr. Rambarran said. “We can do the surgery here and take care of them here. They don’t have to go to Roswell Park to have surgery or to go to Roswell every couple of months for follow up visits.”

According to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center spokesman Pat Bradley, the presence of Western New York Urology Associates at the facility will be of benefit to Niagara County residents.

“They don’t have to drive all the way to downtown Buffalo,” Bradley explained. “It’s also convenient for their families to be with them to provide the emotional and pastoral care patients need when they have surgery done.

“It’s just one more case of what we’ve done at Niagara Falls Memorial for the past 10 years- take what services patients need and bring them closer to home, just like we did with heart care, stroke care, endocrinology, sports medicine and many other things we’ve done.”

As is often the case at NFMMC, many patients are unable to pay for their treatment.

“Obviously, I treat them, regardless of whether they have insurance or not,” Dr. Rambarran said. “You never turn anybody away because they don’t have insurance. You just treat them just like everybody else. Sometimes we help people get health insurance too.”

It has changed the landscape of surgeries being performed in Niagara Falls. Kidney and prostate removals were not performed in Niagara Falls prior to the arrival of Dr. Rambarran and his colleagues.

Patients with urological problems were invariably sent to Buffalo for surgery.

“I think almost everything was being sent to Buffalo because primary doctors knew the urologists here and a lot of physicians were getting close to retirement age so they were just referring right to Buffalo,” Dr. Rambarran said. “They would see somebody in the office, find a tumor and send them right to Roswell and I think that was ingrained well because the urologists here simply didn’t do surgeries. They would do office procedures and minor treatment.”

Along with advanced surgical techniques like robotics where the incisions are much smaller aiding in a more rapid recovery time and a great deal less pain, prevention and early care is also an essential part of the services Dr. Rambarran offers.

Prostate cancer, for example, is one of the main illnesses treated by urologists, and often afflicts men in the prime of their lives, a cruel twist of fate for those who have worked a lifetime for a chance to enjoy their golden years. Early and frequent checkups are recommended.

“I have seen prostate cancer patients who are as young as 40 years old, although that is quite rare,” Dr. Rambarran said, “In most cases, it is around 60. The older you get, the higher the chance of cancer. If you biopsy a man in his 80’s, you have a much higher chance of cancer.”

The changing face of urology care is another example of how NFMMC is providing modern care in an ever changing and challenging health needs of this community.