Aspire Fall 2017

ASPIRE Connecting to a healthier you

FALL 2017 • VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

IN

PEAK Form

Patients get back on the trail earlier and easier with new knee replacement advancements. p. 4

HEART

BEATS RRING p. 7 A C S L A N I E ABDOM

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WAR p. 6 | BE R E C N A C ROSTATE P G N I T E G TYp. 3 | TAR E F A S R O F SIZED

UNDERSTAND THE RISKS OF AFIB p. 2

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Facts About

AFIB

Your racing heart could be putting you at risk for stroke — here’s what to do

At least 2.7 million Americans are living with AFib. Signs include: • Racing heart • Shortness of breath • Fatigue

If you ever feel symptoms such as a “racing heart,” shortness

High-Tech Heart Care

Longmont United Hospital’s new interventional cardiac cath lab offers lifesaving care that gets to the heart of the problem fast. With electrophysiologists (specialists in the heart’s electrical system) on staff, the lab can reduce the time it takes and the distance you travel for diagnostic tests.

of breath, light-headedness, or chest pain, you could have atrial fibrillation. Called AFib for short, this condition stems from a disorder in the heart’s electrical system, and it can lead to stroke, heart failure, and other heart-related problems.

The scary thing is, AFib can also cause no symptoms at all. “Some patients’ first symptom will be a stroke,” says George Paik, MD, FACC, an interventional cardiologist at Longmont United Hospital.

For those who experience rapid heartbeat, Paik says it is necessary to have an EKG, a test that looks at your heart’s electrical activity.

The first line of treatment for AFib is medications to control heart rate and anticoagulants to reduce risk for stroke. Controlling other health risks such as overactive thyroid, sleep apnea, or high blood pressure is also important.

Other AFib treatments may include: • Electrical cardioversion, which uses external shock to reset the heart to normal rhythm • Ablation, which uses radiofrequency or freezing to block abnormal electrical signals • Pacemaker implantation to regulate the heartbeat

Love exercise but don’t know how much your ticker can take? Longmont United Hospital’s Wellness Center offers medically supervised fitness classes, personal training, and more.

Call 303-485-4161 for information.

Who needs a flu vaccine, why, and how often?

Everyone over 6 months old, says Longmont physician d e r e Steven w Ans Mlodinow, MD. The elderly, young children, anyone with chronic disease or a compromised immune system are especially at risk. If you’re 65 or older, your immune system is weaker, so a high-dose vaccine is a good idea.

People forget flu can be serious.

But getting vaccinated has been shown to reduce flu-related hospitalization of the elderly, children, and women in the third trimester of pregnancy.

You need a flu shot each year in the fall. It will last until the following year, and each year’s vaccine protects against flu strains currently circulating. The vaccine’s only documented side effect is injection-site soreness. But, unless you have a serious needle phobia, skip the mist — it’s less effective.

Asked

&

Looking for a primary care doctor? CHPG Primary Care Longmont, 2030 Mountain Avenue (720-652-8400), and Southwest Longmont, 2101 Ken Pratt Boulevard (303-649-3500), are accepting new patients.

ASPIRE is published four times annually by Longmont United Hospital. Executive editor is Kirsten Pfotenhauer. As part of Centura Health, our mission is to nurture the health of the people in our community. The information herein is meant to complement and not replace advice provided by a licensed health care professional. For comments or to unsubscribe to this publication, please email us at aspire@centura.org. ASPIRE is produced by Clementine Healthcare Marketing.

1950 Mountain View Avenue | Longmont, CO 80501-9865

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LONGMONT UNITED HOSPITAL

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The Right Using equipment that fits can ward off injury

N

o matter your favorite sport or pastime, Christy Willett, RN, trauma quality specialist for Longmont United Hospital, has you covered from head to toe with these safety tips. >>

Size

EQUIPMENT

DO

Helmet

“Any helmet for biking, skiing, or other sports needs to fit snugly. If you shake your head and the helmet moves, it’s not the right fit,” Willett says.

DON’T

Wear the same helmet following a crash. “In our ER, if someone is here because of a bike crash and has a cracked helmet, we give them a new one before they leave,” she says.

Mouth guards

Get a “boil and bite” mouth guard that molds to your teeth or have one custom-made by your dentist.

Keep wearing your mouth guard if it no longer fits or is damaged. “Children may need a new mouth guard at the beginning of each sports season,” Willett advises.

Pads, shin guards, and cups

Wear all “standard issue” equipment, and add more if appropriate. For example, some softball players may need ankle guards.

Buy a size up. “If equipment can be pushed out of place, this can lead to contusions, broken bones, or serious internal injuries,” Willett says.

Footwear

Sacrifice function for fashion! Willett says you can Buy shoes specific to your sport. For example, cycling shoes are stiff to help ward off bursitis, tendonitis, and twisted ankles with pedal, but they’re terrible for walking. footwear that fits.

Safe Skydiving According to the U.S Parachute Association, your odds of dying from the locally popular pastime of skydiving are far less likely than being killed by a lightning strike.

Still, Christy Willett, RN, says landing injuries to the ankles and spine can be serious. She offers these precautions: • Work with a trainer prior to jumping to strengthen ankles, calves, hamstrings, and quadriceps muscles.

• Listen to landing instructions.

Techniques differ for tandem and solo jumps.

• Don’t skydive if taking medication that could affect judgment or performance.

Longmont United Hospital partners with Bicycle Longmont to provide hundreds of refurbished bikes and new helmets during the Kids Holiday Bike Program.

To learn how to help, call Christy Willett at 303-651-5496.

303-651-5111 | LUHCARES.ORG

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HAPPY TRAILS New approaches to knee replacement mean shorter hospital stays, faster recovery — keys to getting one local man back to his travels

Henry Fabian was back to booking travel a month after knee replacement at Longmont United Hospital.

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F

irst, Henry Fabian had to give up mountain climbing. Then, it looked like traveling might have to go, when walking around sightseeing became “excruciating.”

The knee pain from osteoarthritis that he’d been tolerating for more than a decade had finally gotten too bad to live with. Fabian knew that he needed a knee replacement.

He consulted several surgeons but didn’t feel comfortable with them, or “the chemistry just wasn’t there.”

Then he met Longmont United Hospital orthopedic surgeon Nirav R. Shah, MD. “I went in there and told him I had three pages of questions, and he said, ‘No problem, just ask.’ He gave me answers, and I was comfortable with him,” Fabian says.

Fabian had his left knee replaced in May. A month later, he was planning a vacation.

During the years Fabian was putting up with pain and putting off Dr. Nirav R. Shah surgery, much changed in how knee replacements are done, Shah says.

Some of the biggest advances: • Shorter hospital stays. “We used to keep patients three days. Now some go home the same day, most the next day,” Shah says.

• New pain management approaches. “We are committed to controlling pain with methods other than narcotics. We try to minimize narcotic use.”

• Sending patients home. “Previously, most patients would go to a rehab or skilled nursing facility after the hospital.” Now, that’s a rare exception; most go directly home, Shah says.

• Moving quickly. “We are much more aggressive about getting patients up and walking right away,” he says. That is key to getting patients ready to leave the hospital sooner, and it speeds recovery.

• Better hardware. New manufacturing techniques mean implanted knee joints should last longer, Shah says.

Fabian did his part, as well. Five weeks before surgery, he started a strict, healthy diet and cut out alcohol. “I biked; I did different exercises to build strength and muscle tone and to ensure muscle elasticity,” he says.

The results were as good as he could have hoped for. Pain was minimal, he says. He used a walker for the first three days, and then a cane. By four weeks, the cane was gone, too. He started physical therapy within days of surgery, and continued it for more than a month.

Despite all his by-the-book preparation, Fabian blames himself for the biggest obstacle he faced in recovery. “You want to get better fast, but the body has limitations. The times when I exerted myself more than I should have, that’s when I had discomfort for a couple of days.”

So, would he have the surgery all over again? “Absolutely.” In fact, Fabian says, he’s already booked a date for replacing his other knee.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TOTAL JOINT AND SPINE CARE PROGRAM AT LONGMONT UNITED HOSPITAL, CALL 303-485-4397.

BACK TO SCHOOL Before Longmont United Hospital joint replacement patients can have surgery, it is highly recommended that they go to class.

Joint replacement class, that is. The hospital’s comprehensive class helps patients prepare for surgery and recovery, plus gives tips for how they can help improve their own outcome.

“We cover everything from the time they decide on surgery to rehabilitation,” says Sally Barbe, RN, BSN, ONC, service line director for orthopedic services at Longmont United Hospital.

“We also talk about their role in preventing infection: making sure they use clean sheets, clean towels before and after surgery — things people might not think of.”

Patients learn the role nutrition plays in recovery, how long surgery will take, what physical therapy might consist of — and that the hospital offers extras like aromatherapy and massage therapy. “We walk them through everything they need to consider,” says Lisa Clark, RN, BSN, surgical navigator for the orthopedic program.

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1-2 Days Half of knee replacment patients spend only one or two days in the hospital.

Three lesser known pieces of advice are: Postpone dental appointments (or schedule them early). Your mouth is a bastion of bacteria. To prevent bacteria from traveling to the surgery site, the hospital recommends no dental procedures, including cleanings, six weeks before or after surgery.

Pile on the protein a month before surgery. Protein builds muscle and helps wound healing, so increase intake before and after surgery.

Find a dog walker. Line up your postsurgery caregivers, including those who will walk your pets for the first week or so.

Longmont United Hospital holds a Gold Seal of Approval® for Certification for Total Hip, Total Shoulder, and Total Knee Replacement, awarded by The Joint Commission hospital accrediting agency.

303-651-5111 | LUHCARES.ORG

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Advanced radiation therapy at Longmont United Hospital renders local man’s persistent prostate cancer a thing of the past

One man in seven will be diagnosed with

99

%

prostate cancer during his lifetime. And while medical advances mean there are more treatments now than ever before, it can be overwhelming to sort through the options.

“Prostate cancer is a very sneaky disease,” says 72-year-old Tom Symns. “Once I found out I had it, I needed to get on top of it.” He opted for Statistically, radiation yields surgical removal of his prostate in 2012. Follow-up the same cure rates as surgical testing later in the year revealed another spike in his removal of the prostate — PSA — a protein found in increased levels in the 99 percent survival after five blood of men who have prostate cancer. About years and 96 percent survival one-quarter to one-third of men will experience after 15 years. a recurrence after treatment, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. “This meant I still had cancer cells, so it was on to radiation.”

Symns was referred to Marie Klish, MD, a radiation oncologist at Longmont United Hospital’s Hope Cancer Care Center. “Upon researching, I found that the Hope Center has the very latest radiology machine, so I opted to stay local rather than driving into Denver for radiation every day,” Symns says.

The Hope Cancer Care Center at Longmont United Hospital is the first in Boulder County to offer the TrueBeamTM system, which delivers radiation treatments with pinpoint accuracy. “We offer cutting-edge technology to precisely target cancer, and our patients also get loving cancer care close to home,” Klish says.

As for Symns, he could not be happier with his results. “I actually skied on the last day of radiation treatment,” he says. “I’ll remember that day forever. It was meaningful.”

So is the fact that his PSA went down. Way down. “The lab says my PSA is undetectable. At this point, everything seems like a great success,” Symns says.

BIO BOX

Dr. Marie Klish Radiation oncologist, Hope Cancer Care Center at Longmont United Hospital Medical school: University of North Carolina Residency: University of Texas Clinical interests: Head and neck, lung, breast, and prostate cancer Contact: 303-651-5252

PSA: A MOVING TARGET Confused by PSA screening guidelines? You’re not alone. Until about 2008, many professional organizations encouraged annual PSA testing for men. Now, a number of organizations caution against it. “It went from one extreme to the next,” says Marek Odehnal, MD, internal medicine physician at Longmont United Hospital.

The bottom line? “Discussion with your doctor is the most important thing,” Odehnal says. “For the average-risk male, we should talk about PSA screening beginning at age 50.”

Unclear about what a PSA test is and whether you should have one? Download a FREE infographic to learn more at centura.org/prostate.

LONGMONT UNITED HOSPITAL AND THE HOPE CANCER CARE CENTER ARE PART OF THE CENTURA HEALTH CANCER NETWORK, DELIVERING INTEGRATED, ADVANCED CANCER CARE ACROSS COLORADO AND WESTERN KANSAS.

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Pinpoint Precision

FABRIC of LIFE Avid survived got back

QUILTER

BETTY ELKINS

A DEADLY

BOWEL OBSTRUCTION AND

TO HER SEWING

Dr. Brian Pottorf

They say that behind every scar there’s an untold story of survival. For

Betty Elkins, 79, of Firestone, it was her scars themselves that nearly took her life.

Throughout the summer of 2016, Elkins felt terrible. She could barely muster the strength to get up and shower or eat before returning to bed. She was also experiencing constipation, and her stomach was getting larger — but she wasn’t gaining weight.

Though her primary care physician assured Elkins she didn’t have a tumor as she’d feared, there was no resolution.

“Then one day my youngest son found me in bed and said, ‘You’re not doing this; it’s not right,’ and dragged me to the emergency room,” Elkins says.

Imaging tests at Longmont United Hospital quickly revealed the problem: Scar tissue from a previous hysterectomy had entrapped her large intestine. Betty had developed such a

severe obstruction, she was diagnosed with toxic megacolon, a life-threatening condition, and needed emergency surgery.

“I was shocked when I was told I’d need surgery within an hour,” Elkins says. “I wanted to go home and think about it, but the doctor said there was no time.”

A Common Pattern

Fortunately for Elkins, her surgeon, Brian Pottorf, MD, FACS, of CHPG General Surgery — Longmont, freed up the scar tissue, but unfortunately had to remove her entire colon.

“Anytime you have abdominal surgery, scar tissue can form, and that can go on to cause an obstruction, chronic pain, and other problems,” he says. “We see a lot of bowel obstructions from surgery.”

While surgery is the most frequent cause of scarring, it also can be caused by infection.

Symptoms typically include nausea, vomiting, and abdominal swelling, and treatment is based on severity.

Abdominal scarring accounts for 50 to 70 percent of bowel obstructions, making it the most common culprit.

“If the individual is stable, a tube can be inserted through their nose and into their stomach, to suction out the contents,” Pottorf says. “If it doesn’t resolve within a couple days, further testing and/or surgery is typically required to remove the scar tissue — but that’s a double-edged sword because more surgery leads to more scar tissue.”

On the Mend

Two weeks after her procedure, Elkins returned home with a colostomy bag that she was assured would only be temporary — and it was. Now, she’s back to herself again, and to her quilting. She even made one for Pottorf to show her appreciation.

“I just cannot praise that doctor and the hospital enough,” she says. “He’s a gifted genius, and there wasn’t one person that wasn’t an A+ while I was there.”

303-651-5111 | LUHCARES.ORG

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Portercare Adventist Health System NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE

PAID

DENVER, CO PERMIT NO. 4033

MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING

2017 CALENDAR

1950 Mountain View Avenue Longmont, CO 80501-9865

Longmont United Hospital is part of Centura Health, the region’s leading health care network. Centura Health does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, religion, creed, ancestry, sexual orientation, and marital status in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activities, or in employment. For further information about this policy contact Centura Health’s Office of the General Counsel at 1-303-673-8166 (TTY: 711). Copyright © Centura Health, 2017.

ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 303-485-3439 (TTY: 711). CHÚ Ý: Nếu bạn nói Tiếng Việt, có các dịch vụ hỗ trợ ngôn ngữ miễn phí dành cho bạn. Gọi số 303-485-3439 (TTY: 711).

WALK TO REMEMBER The Longmont United Hospital BirthPlace invites all families and friends who have experienced a miscarriage, stillbirth, or other infant death, at any time in their life, to remember and honor their child(ren). No registration required; for more info, call 303-651-5295.

When | Sat, Oct 7, 10-11:30 a.m.

Where | Longmont United Hospital Cost | FREE STOP THE BLEEDING, SAVE A LIFE Bleeding Control Basics is a course designed to teach bleeding control principles to first responders and civilians. The course covers identification and recognition of life-threatening bleeding and how to control or stop the bleeding.

When | Thu, Nov 2, 6-7:30 p.m.

Where | Longmont United Hospital Cost | $25 Registration | 303-485-4184

Events

MARK Y CALE OUR NDAR !

LIGHTS OF LOVE Join us for our annual Lights of Love event and enjoy our tree lighting ceremony, carolers, and refreshments.

Santa and his helpers will be in attendance to greet guests of all ages.

No registration required.

When | Tue, Dec 5, 5:30 p.m.

Where | Longmont United Hospital Cost | FREE

HEARTSAVER FIRST AID This course is designed for people without medical training who are likely to be the first onsite in an emergency. It teaches students critical skills to manage an emergency in the first few minutes until emergency medical services (EMS) arrives. Students learn skills to treat bleeding, sprains, broken bones, shock, and other first aid emergencies. Upon completion, passing students will receive an American Heart Association Heartsaver Ecard.

When | Sat, Nov 11, 8 a.m.-Noon Where | Longmont United Hospital Cost | $45 Registration | 303-485-4184

BREASTFEEDING CLASS This class is designed for women and their partners who want information about breastfeeding that will help ensure a good start with their infants.

The benefits of breastfeeding, how the process works, proper positioning, and prevention of common difficulties are topics covered.

When | Tue, Dec 12, 6-9 p.m.

Where | Longmont United Hospital Cost | $30 Registration | 303-485-4184

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FALL

Mental Health First Aid is an eighthour course that gives people the skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The evidence behind the program demonstrates that it does build mental health literacy, helping the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness.

Find a Longmont class bit.ly/MHFALongmont Cost | FREE Registration | 303-651-8469