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Jersey Shore University Medical Center By taking her stroke symptoms seriously, Jackson resident Helen Paneque may have saved her own life. Today, she’s happy to be back serving up drafts at Stewart’s Root Beer in Howell, a restaurant she has run with her husband, Robert, for the past 39 years. Peter P. Barcas, D.O. Board certified in Neurology Neptune • 732-774-8282 Thomas J. Rozwadowski, M.D. Board certified in Emergency Medicine Neptune • 732-776-4510 MeridianHealth.com • 1-800-DOCTORS 8 Stopping a Before It Helen Paneque is used to occasional aches and pains. The 69-year-old Jackson resident has had rheumatoid arthritis for years. She’s also on her feet 12 hours a day, running Stewart’s Root Beer, a busy restaurant in Howell. But when Helen experienced numbness in her arm twice in one week in November 2011, she took it seriously. So did the Meridian Neuroscience team. “Usually, I attributed any symptom to my arthritis. But this was different,” Helen says. “I thought of stories my customers had told me about the signs of stroke. Although I had no symptoms but numbness, I left the restaurant and headed straight to the Emergency Department.” Acting on Intuition Helen arrived at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and saw Emergency Department physician Thomas Rozwadowski, M.D. He ordered lab work to find out if she had suffered a stroke. All tests came back inconclusive. “Helen was an active woman who didn’t smoke or drink, and she had no family history of stroke,” says Dr. Rozwadowski. “Still, it made me uncomfortable letting her go home without knowing more. I needed to make a judgment call. I acted on my gut feeling and admitted her.” Once Helen was admitted, her doctors ran an MRI. It showed she had suffered two ministrokes. Stopping Strokes in Time “Mini-strokes are warning signs that a major stroke is more likely to occur,” says Peter Barcas, D.O., a neurologist with Jersey Shore. Dr. Barcas performed a carotid Doppler test on Helen. This noninvasive test helps doctors identify narrowing in the carotid artery. Helen’s artery was 80 percent to 90 percent blocked, putting her at very high risk for a stroke. To remove the blockage, vascular surgeon Robert Thompson, M.D., Robert M. Thompson, M.D. Board certified in Thoracic Surgery and General Surgery Ocean • 732-775-9077 performed a carotid endarectomy, which involves opening the artery and cleaning out the plaque. “A carotid endarectomy can greatly reduce the risk for a stroke by removing the clot and other debris in the artery,” says Dr. Thompson. “Most people do very well with the surgery and typically can go home the next day.” Moving Forward Such was the case for Helen, who today is healthy and grateful to move forward in life. She and her husband, Robert, continue to run their restaurant, enjoy an active social life, and spend time with their 10 grandchildren. “Always listen to your body and seek the best medical care,” advises Helen. “I can’t say enough about Jersey Shore University Medical Center. They are the absolute best.” • View Inspiring Videos from the Forefront of Neuroscience From stroke to brain tumors to spinal injuries, the experts of Meridian Neuroscience can handle even the most complex cases. Listen as community members share their harrowing experiences and inspiring recoveries in the featured videos found on MeridianNeuroscience.com.
Ocean County Man Has Innovative Heart Treatment Close to Home For years, Bayville resident Ed Bechold didn’t let heart disease hold him back. Despite having undergone coronary artery bypass surgery, Ed lived an active life with his family at the Jersey Shore. He managed a successful real estate agency and often went saltwater fishing. Then, in March 2012, something changed. Ed, 67, noticed his health deteriorating quickly. He was short of breath and had to limit his activities. “I was so tired, I had to stop going to the gym,” says Ed, who used to work out up to five times a week. The diagnosis? Critical aortic stenosis, which meant his heart valve had narrowed and his heart had become weak from struggling to pump blood. The traditional treatment for this condition is open-heart surgery. But because of Ed’s previous operation, open-heart surgery was not an option. Fortunately, a new, minimally invasive treatment was available for Ed, close to home: transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, part of Meridian CardioVascular Network. A Leading Heart Hospital in the Tristate Area During the TAVR procedure, a collapsible aortic heart valve is placed into the body through a catheter that is inserted through an artery in the leg. This is performed while the heart is beating and eliminates the need for traditional open-heart surgery. In addition, hospital stays are usually shorter for patients who have TAVR. Richard M. Neibart, M.D. Board certified in Thoracic and General Surgery Neptune • 732-776-4618 Unlike traditional surgery, there are no large incisions. There is also no need for a heart-lung machine, so the patient’s heart remains pumping the whole time. For patients, there are many benefits, including: • Less pain • Less blood loss • Reduced risk for infection • A shorter recovery time “The TAVR procedure has ushered in a new treatment era for aortic stenosis, the most common structural heart problem,” says Richard Neibart, M.D., chief of Cardiac Surgery at Jersey Shore. Jersey Shore is one of only a few academic medical centers in the country chosen to perform this groundbreaking procedure, confirming its position as one of the leading cardiovascular hospitals in the tristate area. Quick Return to Active Life In May 2012, Dr. Neibart; interventional cardiologists Renato Apolito, M.D., Nelson LaMarche, M.D., and Tommy Ng, M.D.; cardiac surgeon Brook Getting the Gold for Heart Care Ed Bechold and his wife, Nora, share a moment together in the garden outside Jersey Shore University Medical Center. With his heart condition under control, Ed can enjoy spending time with his family, including his three grandsons. DeJene, M.D.; and echocardiographers Lance Berger, M.D., and Peter Lapman, M.D., performed Ed’s TAVR procedure at Jersey Shore. That same afternoon, he was awake, talking, and resting comfortably. “We were able to offer him this lifesaving device, and he returned home only three days later,” recalls Dr. Neibart. Today, Ed is doing well and looking forward to his daughter’s wedding in August. “I wanted to ensure I could walk her down the aisle and share a dance with her,” he says. Thanks to Jersey Shore’s heart experts, he will. • Meridian Health is proud to note that both Jersey Shore and Ocean Medical Center recently received Gold Quality Achievement Awards for heart failure treatment from the American Heart Association. 9Meridian HealthViews • September/October 2012
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