“With the radial catheterization, there is
virtually no recovery time.”
Beaufort Memorial continues to col-
laborate with Duke Heart Network to
expand services within the cardiac cath
lab and enhance the level of care avail-
able here at home. In the future, hospital
administrators hope to be able to provide
emergency interventions for heart attack
patients who need immediate surgery.
For the most serious cases
Patients having a STEMI—the deadliest
type of heart attack—are now airlifted to
hospitals in Charleston or Savannah ap-
proved to perform emergent percutaneous
coronary intervention (PCI), a procedure
that involves the placement of coronary
stents to open blocked arteries. Every
minute that passes before the lifesav-
ing treatment is initiated diminishes a
patient’s chance of survival.
“Patients will beneft [from] having pri-
mary PCI at Beaufort Memorial Hospital,”
says Harry Phillips, MD, chief medical
ofcer of Duke Network Services and as-
sociate director of the Duke Heart Center.
“Lives will be saved.”
To be able to provide emergency
interventions locally, Beaufort Memorial
must obtain a Certifcate of Need from
the South Carolina
Department of Health
and Environmental
Control. Te State
Health Plan requires
that a hospital
perform a minimum
of 600 non-interven-
tional cardiac proce-
dures over a 12-month
period before it can
apply to ofer inter-
ventional procedures.
“Since we brought
in four more cardiolo-
gists last year, we have
exceeded the volume
requirements,” Mock
says. “With the help of
Duke, we’re working to meet the other cri-
teria necessary to apply for a Certifcate
of Need and expand our services to the
community.”
While having the capability to perform
emergency interventions would enhance
Beaufort Memorial’s cardiac program,
such procedures are rarely needed.
“Ninety-fve percent of our patients
have chronic problems that can be man-
aged by tweaking their medications,”
Dr. Smalheiser says. “Tat’s a more real-
istic picture of what cardiologists do. It’s
not the stuf you see on TV.”
For Sun City resident Ralph Payne, it
was a matter of changing his blood thin-
ning and blood pressure medications. Te
82-year-old, who had undergone qua-
druple bypass nine years ago, was hav-
ing atrial fbrillation (a futtering heart
rhythm).
Smalheiser performed a diagnostic
catheterization to make sure all of Payne’s
bypasses were still open. When the test
showed they were clear, he adjusted his
medication.
“He brought my blood pressure down
into the 120s and my pulse rate into the
normal range,” Payne says. “I’m feel-
ing great now. I can’t say enough about
the quality of care I’ve received from
Dr. Smalheiser and the hospital staf.
Tey’re on top of everything.”
Don’t wait!
Every second counts
during a heart attack.
If you’re
having heart attack
symptoms, don’t
wait—call 911.
Ralph Payne
Gloria Hamilton
Being at
a healthy
weight lowers
your risk
for heart
problems.
Read more
about BMH’s
“Create Your
Weight”
program
on page 4.
Doctor Referral Service: 888-522-5585 • Health Scene
15