Cardiac   |   Pediatrics   |   Geriatrics

Cardiac

Cryoablation – Dr. John Cogan, chief of electrophysiology, has a number of patients who have struggled with atrial fibrillation and have gone through other medicines and treatments that have been unsuccessful.  Once they have had cryoablation, which actually freezes the affected tissue, their symptoms have disappeared.  We are one of the few centers in the area that are offering this procedure.  Dr. Cogan is reaching out to find a patient who is willing to share his or her story.

Knowing Heart Symptoms at any age – Dr. Randy Katz, medical director of the Memorial Regional Hospital ER, is reaching out to patients under 50 who often present to the ER with symptoms that most people don’t associate with a heart attack.  The clutching chest pain is often replaced by an intense bout of nausea and vomiting.  So, a patient might feel that they “just have the flu” and are reluctant to go to the ER.

Eliminating Migraines Through the Heart – Dr. Adam Splaver, chief of Cardiac Imaging, has had great success with patients who report of persistent migraines.  With the help of cardiac ultrasound, he’s uncovering a congenital defect that when repaired, immediately frees patients of this debilitating problem.

Valve Clinic – We host many different clinics throughout the healthcare system but the Valve Clinic will soon be the newest addition.  Drs. Cortelli and Plate will be part of a multi-disciplinary team on hand every Wednesday afternoon to evaluate patients with aortic valve problems to determine if they might qualify for minimally-invasive, percutaneous valve surgery.  This clinic is required by Edwards, who manufactures the valve.  Patients would be educated about the valve’s benefits at the clinic.

Calcium Scoring – Dr. Joseph Horgan, chief of Cardiology, can discuss how this test fits into the evaluation of patients’ heart health.  He will see if he can get a patient for us whose heart condition was detected through calcium scoring.

Adult Congenital Surgery -- Dr. Richard Perryman, chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery, is one of the few in the area who has extensive experience with adult congenital surgery.

Cardiac ICU -- Dr. Lance Cohen, medical director of the Intensivists group, can discuss the virtues of having a 24-hour cardiac intensive care team at Memorial Regional Hospital.  It’s a multi-disciplinary team that includes: surgeons, intensivists, nurses, respiratory therapists, physical therapy and nutritionists.

Oncology

Cyberknife and Prostate Cancer– For the last three years, the literature regarding using cyberknife as a treatment option for prostate cancer has been very favorable, giving oncologist an opportunity to treat less invasively for this cancer.

Bone Marrow Transplant Program and public cord-blood banking– About 18 months ago, Memorial Healthcare System teamed up with Duke University to begin offering public cord-blood donation to fulfill the need for minority donations.  When a cord-blood gets donated, it becomes part of Duke’s Global Registry and these donations can serve to treat up 70 different types of disease, including leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia.

Rehabilitation

Determination Drive–Memorial Regional Hospital South houses a very unique space called determination drive that encompasses 60 private rooms, a fully equipped gym for physical and occupational therapy and even a one-bedroom apartment, full-size car, grocery library and an ATM machine to help patients transition back to normal activities of daily living.

Pediatrics

Dancing and Cheerleading causing sports injuries among girls– when people think of sports injury, they think of football and soccer. While we do treat those at the U18 Sports Medicine program, we are seeing an increase in injuries from activities such as cheerleading and dance.

Pediatric Heart Transplant Program– Youngest patient done was 4 months old. It’s the second program in South Florida and one of four in the state. All physicians were recruited from top medical centers like Vanderbilt and Cleveland Clinic.

Lotsy-Dotsy– Former respiratory therapist who found her calling as a full-time resident clown is the heart of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.  She recently celebrated 25 years of clowning around, which also involves very serious times with children at the bedside, going into surgery, starting chemo and even holding the hand of grieving parents.

Pediatric Stroke Care– Stroke is very rare in children, but possible, and parents need to be aware of the signs. Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital has treated children in the past dealing with stroke. These children receive a spectrum of care from surgery to full inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation

Neurology and Neurosciences

Stroke from treatment to rehabilitation– Many physicians have often said that brain is time when it comes to the treatment of a stroke. Unfortunately, many people ignore the early signs of stroke, causing much neurological deficit. At Memorial Regional Hospital and Memorial Regional Hospital South, we have been seeing an interesting trend of younger patients suffering from stroke, some even in their 40s. Memorial Regional Hospital is a comprehensive stroke center equipped to meet the needs of hemorrhagic (bleed) or ischemic (clot) stroke patients and can also treat ischemic stroke within eight hours after symptom onset. Stroke and Brain Attack Teams are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to provide immediate stroke treatment. Often times, stroke patient suffer motor, sensory and cognitive deficit and most people are not able to go home immediately. These patients then move on to inpatient rehabilitation at Memorial Regional South and finish their rehabilitation on an outpatient basis – having experienced a full spectrum of care.

Sleep Apnea and Children– Dr. Juan Martinez, board certified pediatric pulmonary specialist, at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital is one of a handful of board certified pediatric sleep specialists in the state of Florida.  He sees an increasing number of children with sleep apnea.  While some have the more obvious symptoms of snoring and gasping for air while they sleep, others have much more subtle symptoms that make sleep apnea less apparent.  These symptoms can include:

--lack of attention

--sudden poor performance in school

--behavioral problems

In 2011, the JDCH Sleep Center did sleep studies on more than 250 children under the age of 18.  Depending on the diagnosis following a study, Dr. Martinez can tap into a number of JDCH specialists such as neurologists, craniofacial experts and developmental physicians.  The team approach enables Dr. Martinez to consider the entire child when treating a sleep apnea diagnosis.

Caregiving for the caretakers of patients with Alzheimer’s Disease–  Located at Memorial Hospital Pembroke, Leeza's Place is "A Place for Caregivers," a community gathering place and resource center for caregivers impacted by any chronic or progressive illness. They support all families by connecting caregivers to one another, and by offering individual guidance, information and referrals, as well as a calendar full of programs designed to Educate, Empower and Energize. Each of the programs at Leeza's Place is a result of open conversations with patients, caregivers and their loved ones. With an understanding of their unique needs, values, challenges and goals, Leeza's Place seeks to: Build the self-esteem of patients and caregivers; Relieve symptoms associated with memory disorders; Share information about new medical advances, available resources and other developments; Reduce the stress of caring for a patient with a memory disorder, as well as the stress of being newly diagnosed; Assist caregivers with coping and care-related skills; Encourage patient advocacy.

Geriatrics

ACE UNIT– Acute Care for Elders, a unique inpatient unit that provides a spectrum of care for an elderly from the moment they enter the ER to discharge to family member or skilled nursing facility. It’s the only unit of its type in South Florida region under the medical direction of a fellowship-trained, board certified geriatrician, plus the care provided fits the national guidelines established by Nurses Improving the Care of Health System Elders (NICHE)

Women’s Health

Breast Health- Routine mammograms can make it possible to for breast cancer to be diagnosed and treated much earlier. Memorial’s Women’s Imaging Centers now offers the latest in digital breast screening – Tomosynthesis. It provides a 3-D image that provides a comprehensive scope of the breast and can pick up tumors in the earliest of stages. In addition, it offers specialized services as breast ultrasound, MRI breast exam, stereotactic biopsy, PET mammography and much more. Memorial Regional Hospital, Memorial Hospital West and Memorial Hospital Miramar have been designated Breast Centers of Excellence by the American College of Radiology, and throughout Memorial Healthcare System, test results are read and interpreted by board-certified, fellowship-trained radiologists who specialize in breast imaging.

Single-site robotic gall bladder surgery- Doctors are seeing an increasing trend in young women who need gall bladder surgery following pregnancy.  Dr. Anel Alvarado, general surgeon at Memorial Hospital Miramar, is performing single-site robotic surgery to remove the gall bladder.  The tiny incision in the belly button is nearly invisible and other benefits include less bleeding and quicker recovery.  In fact, most surgeries are done on an outpatient basis with patients returning home the same day.  For a new mom, those benefits are priceless since they allow her to get back to her baby quickly

Rehab for the Bladder– Women often find that after multiple pregnancies, their bladder muscle doesn’t work as well as it used to.  In the past, surgery was generally the only option.  Now, Memorial Healthcare System’s Bladder Health program is giving woman a new alternative—pelvic floor rehab.  Physical therapists work in concert with hospital urologists to help treat the problem with appropriate exercises and biofeedback.

Signs and Symptoms of Thyroid Cancer– A patient in her early 50s had persistent symptoms of sore throat and laryngitis.  After several unsuccessful trips to the ENT, a friend recommended Memorial’s Center for Integrated Endocrine Surgery.  Dr. Mack Harrell met with the patient and found enlarged thyroid glands.  His partner, Dr. David Bimston recommended surgery and, when he operated, found extensive thyroid cancer that involved 75 nodes.  Today, she is cancer free.  The patient is eager to share her story so prospective patients can get the care they need.

Nagging pain down your arm?– In today’s fast paced world, most woman go everywhere with their cell phone in hand and often with it pressed up to their ear.  Over time, this can cause a great deal of pressure on a key nerve that covers the elbow.  The resultant nerve pain is frequently referred to as “cell phone elbow.”  Dr. Gary Schwartz, hand surgeon with Memorial Regional Hospital South and Memorial Hospital West, can discuss the mechanics of this problem and when the best time is for surgical intervention.