Brittany E. Splittgerber, MD

General Surgery

Board-Certified: American Board of Surgery

Residency: General Surgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA

MD: University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA

Member: American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association

“I appreciate the combined operative and medical management of patients. As a general surgeon, there is a great variety of operative procedures. I enjoy being able to care for both long- and short-term patient management scenarios.

“I believe there is a special bond between a patient and their surgeon and with the family, who has entrusted me with their well-being. The surgeon has the responsibility of that patient’s life in their hands. The risks are real, but the satisfaction of a successful surgery is unparalleled. Surgery gives me the opportunity to make immediate and lasting intervention with my own two hands.”

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" Ten years ago, my Mason City Clinic heart surgeon removed my expiration date "

Dean Haugen
Cardiology Patient

I used to visit the ER often with undiagnosed heart problems. During my last visit in 2004, they told me I probably wouldn’t make it another year. That’s when my doctor at Mason City Clinic found my mitral valve malfunction and surgically repaired it. I recently had my annual EKG exam and my cardiologist found no heart problems whatsoever. Which means I can keep raising my squash, musk melon and tomatoes.

" He’s the best doctor I’ve ever had – and I’ve had a lot "

Jansen Wyatt
Cardiology Patient

With no warning signs, Jansen Wyatt, 54, suddenly collapsed in his home last November. His daughter-in-law rushed him to the ER at Palo Alto County Health System in Emmetsburg, where they diagnosed a severe heart attack. Jansen was helicoptered to Mason City’s Mercy Medical Center. Samuel Congello, DO, a board-certified cardiologist with Mercy’s Heart and Vascular Institute.

" It’s hard to be a good nurse when you have hearing loss "

Janice Collins
ENT & Allergy Patient

As a young girl I was diagnosed with hearing loss in my right ear. I had many ear infections and surgeries, but the problem only got worse. It was getting hard to do my job because I was missing parts of conversations. Hearing aids only caused me more infections. Then I found Dr. Henry Diggelmann at Mason City Clinic. He recommended BAHA (bone anchored hearing aid), which creates sound using bone amplification.

" How do you handle kids if you can’t use your hands? "

Sandy Wagner
Plastic Surgery Patient

After years as a special education teacher handling children with significant disabilities and behavioral challenges, I began having limited use of my hands due to severe arthritis pain. I found myself fighting back tears every day because the pain was so bad. I could no longer enjoy one of my favorite hobbies, quilting, either. I met with Dr. René Recinos, a plastic surgeon from Mason City Clinic and recommended a procedure called arthrodesis.

" By replacing her arthritic hip and knee, Charlene can walk in the woods again without pain "

Charlene Hanson
Orthopaedics Patient

Retired school teacher Charlene Hanson used to love walking in the woods – until the pain and inflammation of arthritis took it away from her. Since she had heard such great things at church and in the community about Mason City Clinic’s Orthopedic Department and Dr. Darron Jones, she made them her choice to replace her arthritic hip and knee.

" Getting The Hip Replacement Surgery Done At 60 Was The Best Decision I Made "

Roger Kuck
Orthopaedics Patient

Roger was always very active, but a few years ago his hip started to bother him. When he would go to bed at night the pain was very severe. “I would have to lay on the floor and put my legs up on the couch to relieve the pain,” said Roger.
His orthopedic surgeon at the Mason City Clinic Dr. Darron Jones said, “I can give you cortisone shots, but this is a quality of life question.

" I trusted him 100 percent "

Donna Drake
Plastic Surgery Patient

Donna Drake lived with a growing basal cell skin cancer (the most common skin cancer) on her lower eyelid for three years. A family practitioner at Franklin General Hospital recommended Mason City Clinic’s plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Mark Mulkey, who identified the cancer and performed the extremely delicate eyelid surgery to remove it and reconstruct her eyelid.

" Bunion pain stopped Melody in her tracks "

Melody Wagner
Podiatry Patient

Melody Wagner loved walking until severe pain from bunions stopped her cold. She found a board-certified podiatrist at Mason City Clinic’s Podiatry Department. Podiatrists perform leading-edge surgery for bunions and hammertoes, as well as advanced treatments for diabetic feet, heel pain, ingrown toenails and more. Melody was afraid of a painful procedure and a long recovery.

" I didn’t know the pain in my leg came from a ruptured blood vessel in my chest "

Lyle Miller
Cardiology Patient

One snowy night about seven years ago, I felt a sudden pain in the back of my leg. I thought I could shake it off and went out to shovel some snow. After a few minutes, I went back inside and collapsed. My wife called 911 but the ambulance couldn’t get to me because of the snow. My neighbors used snow blowers to clear the road and my driveway so the ambulance could get to me.

" No more sour grapes about knee pain for me "

Gordon Lubbers
Orthopaedics Patient

I injured my knee as a teenager and had surgery. Then, as I got older, the pain returned and began affecting my routine and overall enjoyment of life. My doctor referred me to Darron Jones, MD, an orthopedic surgeon. After a thorough exam, he said I was a candidate for knee replacement. I had the procedure in late January 2014 and was back among the grapes by the beginning of March.

" I Wanted To Dance Up A Storm At My Two Daughters Weddings, And I Did! "

Sheryl Borcherding
Orthopaedics Patient

We have a lot of flower gardens on our acreage, and I was having problems kneeling to weed. I couldn’t walk long distances anymore and it was painful to get in and out of the car, walk up and down the stairs. Simple everyday tasks were hard. Eventually I was limping and in a great deal of pain.” said Sheryl Borcherding of Emmons, MN.

" I Now Can Play Football And Basketball With My Grand Nephew. "

Jane Papouchis
Orthopaedics Patient

Jane, 70, a retired nurse, is a very active person. She is a mother of one daughter and son in law, and has lots of 4 legged kids: guinea pigs, goats, Newfoundland dogs and 10 cats. I suffered with knee pain for a long time and would always take extra strength Ty-lenol.

" I Was Given 23 Years Of My Life…And Counting "

Gene Wagler
Cardiology Patient

Gene Wagler, a special needs teacher from Clear Lake, didn’t have a history of heart problems before his heart attack 23 years ago. Gene said, “I didn’t feel any pain that day but I had a “gnawing” sensation in my chest. Within hours Gene was in the Mercy One-North Iowa ER and Dr. Sam Congello, an interventional cardiologist.

" I feel great and have none of the heartburn I had for so many years and have lost 12 pounds. "

Kathleen Hanna
GERD Surgical Patient

Kathleen Hanna, 60, is a mother of four, grandmother of nine and a para-assistant at Forest City Elementary School. “I had heartburn with regurgitation for 40 years, have had an ulcer, and have been on heartburn medication for about that long too.” Having been on heartburn medication for many years her physician was becoming worried that it was affecting the function of her kidneys.

" I feel great. The surgery was easy. Now I can fully enjoy my life with my wife – we garden, bike and visit with our three grown children and three grand-daughters. "

Duane Obanion
GERD Surgical Patient

In March 2019, Duane Obanion, 68, a farmer outside of Mason City, Iowa had an acid reflux attack. He aspirated into his lungs and got pneumonia. “I was in New York visiting my daughter when it happened and I ended up in the Urgent Care Center. When I got home I went to my family doctor and she put me in touch with Dr. Matthew Fabian, a general surgeon at the Mason City Clinic”.

" After Breaking Her Wrist In A Fall, Hampton Woman Gets Full Mobility of Her Hand And Wrist Back! "

LeAnn Strother
Plastics & Reconstructive Surgery Patient

In February 2019, LeAnn Strother 65, who is left-handed, fell and broke her left wrist. Because it was a complicated break she was referred into Dr. Rene Recinos, a plastics and reconstructive surgeon, and hand specialist at the Mason City Clinic for surgery. Most concerning for LeAnn was if this injury would impact all of the things she loves to do with her hands in the future?

" Dr. Scherb and his team are amazing "

Dan Rodemeyer
Orthopedic Patient

Dan Rodemeyer of Hampton, was at work when the unexpected happened. While on the loading dock, a 4,000 pound steel I-beam fell onto his foot. Dan said, “I was wearing steel toe boots, but the sheer weight of the steel beam crushed my foot and broke two of my toes. It was extremely painful to say the least.”

Dan initially went to the emergency room in Hampton. His foot had very severe soft tissue compression injuries, and there was an internal wound that was causing extreme swelling and pain. Although his big and second toe were broken, thankfully they were not compound fractures.

" Dr. Mulholland Has A Great Team And They Know Exactly What They Are Doing "

Paul Bruns
Urology (Prostate Cancer)

Paul Bruns of Clear Lake, a retired restaurateur and businessman, went to his Medicare screening with his family physician at the MercyOne Family Clinic in Clear Lake. To Paul’s surprise his physician called him back to let him know that his PSA count (protein in his prostate) was very high and that he needed to see a urologist as soon as possible.

" I would recommend Dr. Henrich to anyone. "

Lisa Fuller
Podiatry (Dr. Henrich)

I am back to work on my feet everyday, and I walk my dog everyday. I don’t have any pain. Lisa Fuller, a mother of three from Algona, is on her feet a lot. “I own a can redemption center with my daughter and I am walking and moving eight hours a day. I used to come home with my feet swollen red and in pain. Now when I come home, I go take my dog for a long walk,” Lisa said.

" Iowa Falls Woman In Full Kidney Failure, Now Planning A Hiking & Fishing Trip Out West "

Credits Urologist Dr. Kevin Rier and Team For Her Recovery

Cindy Wingler, 55, was returning from a trip out west with her boyfriend when she didn’t feel well and went to the ER at Hansen Family Hospital in Iowa Falls. She was nauseous and fatigued, and thought perhaps she was having another urinary tract infection which she had many of in her lifetime.

" Physical Therapy Was What Helped One Clear Lake Woman Return To The Little & Big Joys Of Life "

Debbie Walker

Debbie Walker, 63 of Clear Lake, was in Minneapolis visiting her sister when she accidentally slipped and fell on an icy driveway and severely injured her shoulder.

" Eliminating Longstanding Medication Allergies Gives One Mom Hope! "

Jodi Suntken

Jodi Suntken, of Mason City and mother of 2 boys, was desperate to achieve two things: be sick less, and be well more. In an effort to combat her chronic sinus infections, she consulted with Dr. Henry Diggelmann at Mason City Clinic's ENT Department. Via CT scan, he discovered Jodi was born missing her frontal sinuses. Said Jodi, “Everyone usually has four sinus cavities: two maxillary (below your eyes), and two frontal (above your eyebrows).

" Mason City Woman Back On Her Feet Again After Hammertoe Surgery "

Rebecca (Becky) Groh

Rebecca (Becky) Groh, 64, only goes to one podiatrist in Mason City and that is Dr. Scott Donohoe.
“I have been to Dr. Donohoe three times - for my right and left foot bunions, and hammertoes, and recently he fixed a hammertoe on my left foot that was really bothering me.

" Charles City Woman Finds Relief From Sleep Apnea Symptoms and CPAP mask with New Procedure Called Inspire Therapy "

Janet Stangl

Janet Stangl, 64, a retired administrative assistant from Charles City, was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2006. Said Janet, "I was in the severe sleep apnea zone. I stopped breathing 30-50 times per hour during the night. I was prescribed the CPAP.

" Kathy Shaffer was ‘Nulli Secundus’ or ‘Second To None’ When She Had Triple Bypass Surgery at MercyOne North Iowa Heart Center "

Kathy Shaffer

Said Kathy, “Many men on my side of the family have had heart problems, but the women haven’t so I assumed I was ok. I had experienced some pressure on my chest when walking or exercising for 15 minutes or more, but I thought I was just out of shape, or attributed it to my acid reflux. What I have learned is heart disease symptoms are different for women than men.”