Be Well

Doc At The Door

Old fashioned house calls make a come back For Tina Brabham, going to the doctor presented many challenges. Over the course of her life, starting with her teenage years, Brabham has lost use of her muscles in her arms and legs as a result of the disease spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Now 50, the Summerville mother and grandmother is considered a quadriplegic. While she has pursued as much in ...

Lowcountry’s Largest Loser

Who will be the Lowcountry’s Largest Loser? Over the next three months, 12 local residents who are struggling with weight problems will see who has the most success slimming down as part of the Lowcountry’s Largest Loser contest, collaboration between Trident Health, Coastal Carolina Bariatric Center, Pivotal Fitness and WCBD-TV, Channel 2. All 12 contestants are receiving support ...

Trident Senior Health

Trident Senior Health Devotes Extra Attention to Aging Issues Trident Senior Health understands that those age 55 and up deserve a different approach to health care, one that is tailored to the many changes they face as they grow older. As a result, its physician, Dr. Mark Meiler, is board-certified in geriatrics as well as family medicine. “He has specific training on the process of a ...

Flu Season

Take Extra Precautions During Flu Season’s Peak Trident Family Health promotes prevention, so its physicians highly encourage their patients to get vaccinated against the flu. And even though the 2012-13 flu season started early, it’s not too late to vaccinate, says Dr. Sarah Edwards, a resident physician with the pro-active family practice. “If you haven’t gotten your flu ...

SMC Pediatrics Expansion

Summerville Medical Center to boost emergency care, other services for kids   With the start of 2013, Summerville Medical Center (SMC) moves forward with pivotal upgrades to the places children receive care within the hospital. By mid-summer, a 4,000-square-foot addition to the Emergency Department, and a 3,500-square-foot unit on the second-floor, both dedicated to pediatrics, will be read ...

Hand Hygiene

High-tech system measures hand hygiene success    Summerville Medical Center (SMC) has teamed up with General Electric Healthcare on a high-tech pilot project. This program measures hand hygiene success by hospital staff any time an employee interacts with a patient. “You want to do everything you can to minimize exposure of to yourself and others, especially patients,” say ...

Offering a long-term fix for irregular heartbeat

One of the most common forms of irregular heartbeat is atrial fibrillation, which affects as many as 2.7 million Americans. Atrial fibrillation (a-fib) not only causes discomfort, disruption and fatigue but also can lead to more serious problems such as stroke if left untreated.   Yet there are treatments that can help, including a potential long-term solution called cardiac ablation therapy ...

Hospital patients don't have to wait to see OB

Everyone knows waiting is a part of pregnancy. But when a pregnant woman is ready to deliver or otherwise needs urgent care, it’s best for her to see an obstetrician/gynecologist right away.   The new OB/GYN Hospitalist Program at Summerville Medical Center (SMC) will ensure she does. Introduced in July, the program provides obstetrics and gynecology coverage at the hospital around the ...

Specialists Treat Stomach and Intestinal Worries

“We try to make it as easy for the patients as possible.”  Rya Kaplan, MD and Robbie Taha, MD  As specialists in stomach and intestinal issues, Dr. Rya Kaplan and Dr. Robbie Taha handle mat- ters that patients are sometimes embarrassed to talk about – such as bloating, gas, constipation and nausea – but need to be addressed and could be signs o ...

Bariatric surgery center tallies close to 2,500 lost pounds

You might say the patients of Coastal Carolina Bariatric Center have lost a “ton” of weight since the center opened at Summerville Medical Center in February of 2011, but that would fall short. A recent check revealed the group had collectively lost close to 2,500 pounds – more than a 2,000-pound ton.   “It has been a great year,” says bariatric surgeon Dr. Neil ...

New Vein Center Opens at Colleton Medical Center

Varicose veins affect half of the people over age 50 and can start earlier, for example, following pregnancy in women. You may notice the darkened leg veins first as a cosmetic nuisance, a reason not to wear shorts. But for some people, varicose veins and related conditions can lead to significant leg pain, swelling and difficulty sleeping, along with more serious complications such as wounds, ulc ...

Living close to a primary stroke center can make all the difference

William Passmore had just started his work as a pipefitter at Mead Westvaco when he suddenly felt dizzy and fell into a table. Passmore didn’t seem like a likely stroke candidate. He is just 54 and keeps in good physical shape. But he had clas- sic symptoms: paralysis in his left arm and leg, and a droop to the left side of his face. The diagnosis was clear-cut, and that would work in his ...

New technology improves accuracy in catheter procedures

These days one change in an everyday medical procedure can translate into big improvements for patients and the people who care for them. Recently, the Vascular Access Team at Trident Medical Center (TMC) adopted a new technology, developed by BARD Access Systems and FDA approved, that’s not available at any other hospital in the Lowcountry. Two clinical studies have found the Sapiens ...

Finally, An Answer for Smokers

Patricia Haines started smoking at age 15, “before they knew it was bad for you,” and had continued off and on with a total of more than 20 years as a smoker. Concerned that she sometimes felt short of breath, she recently talked to her doctor about a new lung cancer screening offered by Trident Medical Center (TMC), and she’s glad she did. The low-dose computed t ...

Robotic Surgery Gives Hysterectomy Patients Another Option

With three busy young children, Bridgette Manning couldn’t consider taking a month and a half off from life for a traditional hysterectomy,  and after seeing the recovery of other women from the surgery in the past, she was inclined to put it off anyway.  Bridgette suffered from endometriosis, when cells from the lining of the uterus start to grow in other parts of the body. The co ...