Winter 2012 - Peninsula Regional Medical Center

HEALTHFOCUS | Winter 2012
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www.peninsula.org
Just not much the past year.
“The pain was so severe it literally brought me to tears. I
never left the house, canceled vacations, couldn’t drive,
couldn’t ride the bike…I didn’t want to take a shower it hurt
so bad,” said Ralph of the severe back, groin and leg pain that
from October 2010 to May 2011 left him absolutely unable to
do anything. “It was awful, I couldn’t stand it.”
It was most likely a fall a decade ago from a ladder and an
awkward landing that caused the bulging disc that was now
controlling and crippling Ralph’s life. When strong pain
medications and injections failed, he turned to orthopaedic
spine surgeon Dr. Scott McGovern, to discuss surgical
options. “Surgery should always be the last option for
treating spinal disorders,” added Dr. McGovern. “Our goal is
to provide patients with the safest, best outcomes possible,
and for Ralph surgery was not only the last option, it was the
absolute best option.”
Dr. McGovern assured Ralph he was confident he could
correct the problem and that he was a strong candidate for
endoscopic spine surgery at Peninsula Regional Medical
Center.
The surgery took about an hour. Ralph was awake the
entire time under just a local anesthetic. Instead of an open,
larger incision, Dr. McGovern inserted a specialized high
resolution camera and customized surgical instruments
through just one very small incision to repair Ralph’s disc
problem. The camera allowed him to see inside the spine,
and the instruments to fix the problem with much less stress
on surrounding tissue and bone versus an open procedure.
“Although certain patients will benefit more from a
traditional surgery, minimally invasive and endoscopic
surgery can replace most traditional open surgeries without
being minimally effective,” said Dr. McGovern. “We’re
fortunate at PRMC to be a forerunner in this technology.” For
patients, that translates into less blood loss from a single,
small incision, faster recovery, less pain and a safer surgery.
Just six hours after arriving PRMC, Ralph was on his way
back home to Nanticoke, and pain free. “Dr. McGovern and
this surgery have given me my life back, no question about
it,” added Ralph. “I’m flabbergasted. I can’t believe this has
been so successful. Even today I expect to wake up and find
out this isn’t real.” Next mission, getting that handicap into
the 20’s.
HealthGrades, Inc. has ranked Peninsula Regional
Medical Center as the #2 hospital in Maryland for
Overall Orthopaedic Services in 2012.
Home is Where the Heart “Care” is
John Hauswald on the beach in Ocean City, Maryland
“You need bypass surgery. You have an abdominal
aortic aneurysm. Both require immediate surgical
attention.”
That’s exactly what John Hauswald of Ocean City heard
from his cardiologist while wintering in Florida a few years
ago.
John, 83 at the time, faced some tough choices. So he
turned to someone he trusted—his daughter, Carol Wright of
Salisbury. “Carol said my wife Elsa and I should fly home,
have the surgery here and recuperate near her,” added John.
“She told us Peninsula Regional Medical Center was well
respected throughout the country as a premier, exceptional
heart hospital. That’s all we needed to hear.”
Cardiothoracic surgeon Nicholas Ogburn, MD performed
quadruple bypass surgery, and a month later repaired John’s
abdominal aortic aneurysm using minimally invasive
techniques. “It couldn’t have been better from start to finish;
it was excellent,” shared John. “Everyone, and I mean
everyone, was wonderful. It might sound strange to say they
made my heart surgery and recovery seem easy, but they
did.”
John says he feels great today, still plays golf and enjoys—
now more than ever—life with Elsa including Summers in
Ocean City, winters in Florida and a year-round healthy
outlook thanks to the Guerrieri Heart & Vascular Institute
team at Peninsula Regional Medical Center.
HealthGrades, Inc. has named Peninsula
Regional Medical Center one of
America’s Best 100 Hospitals for Cardiac
Care in 2012 and the recipient of the
Cardiac Care Clinical Excellence Award.
Visit PRMC Online at www.peninsula.org to learn more about any of these services.