Fall 2014 | Volume 6, Issue 4
On the Move
Overnight joint replacement means getting back to your life quicker and with less pain. Page 4
NEW
Neighborhood Health Center and ER at Southlands
Jeff Bellamy has a new perspective on life after hip replacement surgery at Parker Adventist Hospital.
PLUS...
See story on Page 3.
Preventing Shoulder Injuries
New Migraine Treatment
Scarless Hysterectomies
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PAGE 7 PHOTO BY ELLEN JASKOL
the risk of injury Preventing shoulder injuries in teen athletes FOOTBALL PLAYERS AND WRESTLERS
are the most likely high school athletes to suffer shoulder injuries and are at most risk during games rather than practices, according to a recent study in the medical journal Pediatrics. The “heat of the moment” mentality during games can lead to altered shoulder mechanics and result in sprains, separations, Dr. Micah Worrell or dislocations, says Micah Worrell, DO, an orthopedic surgeon at Parker Adventist Hospital. Adults at Risk “The athlete will do anything to make a play or score a point, thus placing the Shoulder injuries are not just shoulder in a position for which it has limited to teens or athletes. not been trained,” he says. “It is this Three out of 10 adults will unpredictable and uncontrollable factor experience some type of of a game situation that leaves athletes shoulder pain in their lives— at an increased risk for shoulder injury particularly rotator cuff relative to practice.” Athletes can reduce the risk of tears. Join Dr. Micah Worrell, injury by following these tips: orthopedic surgeon, at a > Use proper protective equipment. FREE community seminar > Cross-train during the off-season. on Oct. 23 to learn how to “This will not only maintain shoulder protect your shoulders and flexibility and balance, but also help the treatments available if the athlete recognize and recover you suffer an injury. See next from periods of overuse,” Worrell says. page for details. > Incorporate a routine of shoulderspecific flexibility and strengthening exercises. “This will decrease the risk of injury and, secondarily, improve performance,” he adds. > Finally, pay meticulous attention to technique with regard to proper tackling or wrestling maneuvers.
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More than the blues
Help for depression is close at hand PERSISTENT LOW MOOD, loss of interest, reduced energy — this is more than a case of the blues. You could be depressed, and your primary care doctor can help. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry says more than half the cases of depression can be identified and treated in a primary care office. Josh Solot, DO, family medicine physician at Cornerstar Primary Care, says depressive disorders are common, with major depression affecting 5 percent to 10 percent of patients seen in primary care settings. Other symptoms include changes in sleep, appetite, or ability to concentrate. Your doctor will most likely recommend a multipronged treatment approach, which could include cognitive therapy, exercise, removal of stressors, and possibly medications, Solot says. When a patient has not responded to a variety of treatment options, a referral to a mental health specialist may be necessary. “The important thing is to listen to your body and report these changes to your primary care physician,” he says.
Cornerstar Primary Care, formerly called
Access Family Medicine, has moved to 15901 E. Briarwood Circle, Suite 200, Aurora, CO 80016, located at the corner of Parker Road and Arapahoe Road in the Centura Health Building. To make an appointment, call 303-269-2626.
New treatment for migraines
A NEW HEADBAND-TYPE DEVICE, recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, might be useful in preventing up to half of migraine headaches in some patients. The device, called Cefaly, delivers electrical stimulation to the forehead, targeting nerves commonly involved in migraines, says Ravi Shah, MD, stroke medical director for Parker Adventist Hospital. “Cefaly is intended to increase the threshold for headaches so they don’t occur as frequently.” While medical studies found that the device prevented migraines in some patients, Shah cautions that more research is needed. “Although one small clinical trial showed a significant reduction in migraine days, more research is warranted to establish the efficacy and safety of the device.” Cefaly, which requires a prescription, costs about $300 and is not typically covered by insurance.
PHOTO: ©DOLLARPHOTOCLUB.COM/SNAPTITUDE
Shouldering
Fall
Neighborhood Necessity
FREE
health seminars
New Centura Health Southlands Neighborhood Health Center provides one-stop health care for local residents
Join Parker Adventist Hospital for a series of FREE health seminars. All seminars are held in the Parker Adventist Hospital Conference Center, located on the Garden Level at the west entrance. A light lunch is served during daytime programs, and light snacks are served during evening programs. Registration is required for all seminars. New! Online only registration at parkerhospital.org/seminars.
RESIDENTS IN SOUTHEAST AURORA AND NEARBY COMMUNITIES now have
access to more convenient, comprehensive care with the opening of Centura Health Southlands on Sept. 29. Located near Aurora’s Southlands Shopping Center at E-470 and Smoky Hill Road, the facility offers primary care, women’s health services, on-site imaging and lab services, mammography, and outpatient rehabilitation. “Southlands offers full-service, one-stop health care for patients — comprehensive services for Emergency Room residents in their own neighborhood,” says Deb Opening Soon Carpenter, RN, director of ambulatory projects at A full-service, freeCentura Health South Denver Group. Centura Health Southlands is part of the Colorado standing ER is scheduled Health Neighborhoods, an initiative by Centura to open at Southlands to provide more local, convenient, and affordable in November. It will be services within communities focused on wellness an extension of Parker services as well as treatment. Research showed that Adventist Hospital, the Southlands area was lacking such services for and will offer services patients. available at a hospital Southlands’ primary care services will include ER, and use a door-toon-site pediatricians, OB/GYN physicians, and family doctor model to deliver practice physicians. All services and health care the fastest care possible. providers at the current Southlands location on Main Street will move to the new facility up the road near Red Lobster. “We want people to view Southlands as a place where they can get anything they need in one convenient location,” Carpenter says. “If someone comes in for an annual exam and needs a mammogram, she can just go down the hall rather than travel across town.”
6159 S. Southlands Parkway
Centura Health Southlands Southlands ER
N
E. Commons Ave.
E-470 S.
E. S
Family Fall Festival
Pain in the Neck
Tue, Oct 21 | Noon-1:30 p.m. Join orthopedic spine surgeon Dr. Scott Stanley to understand the most common problems causing neck pain and the best proven nonsurgical and surgical treatments.
Shoulder Repair and Replacement
Thu, Oct 23 | 6:30-8 p.m. If you’ve been suffering from shoulder pain due to an injury or arthritis, join orthopedic surgeon Dr. Micah Worrell to learn the latest treatment options, from rehab to minimally invasive surgery.
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Join your new Southlands neighbors on Oct. 25 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. for an afternoon of food, fun, and wellness. Meet the Southlands medical teams while enjoying fun and healthy activities for all ages.
S. Aurora Pkwy. ILLUSTRATION: ©DOLLARPHOTOCLUB.COM/MEJN PHOTO: ©DOLLARPHOTOCLUB.COM /RIDO
Southlands ER
Tue, Oct 14 | 6:30-8 p.m. Join Dr. Zak Ibrahim, orthopedic spine surgeon, to learn about treatment options for low back pain, including minimally invasive surgery, and how to know when it’s the right time for surgery.
E. Orchard Rd.
Centura Health Southlands 6069 S. Southlands Parkway OB/GYN 303-840-8780 Primary Care 303-928-7555
Ending Back Pain
Advancements in Joint Replacement
Thu, Nov 6 | 6:30-8 p.m. Join Dr. Derek Johnson, orthopedic surgeon, to learn about the latest in knee and hip replacement surgery.
Scarless Surgery
Wed, Nov 19 | 6:30-8 p.m. General surgeon Dr. Christine Rogness will discuss advancements in surgery, including single-site, scarless surgery.
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Overnight Joint Replacement Surgery patients going home faster thanks to advancements in pain control and physical therapy at Parker Adventist Hospital
Y
ou wouldn’t believe it by looking at him, but active 54-year-old Jeff Bellamy’s biggest goal in early 2014 was to be able to tie his left shoe again. Today, he works out five days a week. But before his hip replacement surgery in February, Bellamy was at the mercy of chronic hip pain from arthritis that had worsened over seven years. When he filled out the presurgical questionnaire about his limitations, it hit him how many of his favorite activities had fallen by the wayside as his pain became more severe. “It was amazing how many things I’d Getting back forgotten that I enjoyed that I didn’t do to familiar anymore,” Bellamy says. “Long walks, playing golf, hiking in the mountains, surroundings riding a bike — these are things I and sleeping in naturally gave up over time.”
your own bed makes recovery more relaxing.
One-Day Surgery
After joint replacement at Parker Adventist Hospital, about 30 percent of hip patients — including Bellamy — and 15 to 20 percent of knee patients are now able to return home after staying just overnight in the hospital. “The average stay nationwide is still more than three days for both hips and knees,” says Derek Johnson, MD, medical director of orthopedics at Parker Adventist Hospital. So why try for a shorter stay? “We focus on the healthy patient model, which stresses that joint replacement patients aren’t sick,” Johnson says. “They have a bad hip or knee, but otherwise they’re healthy. So we want to get you up, get you back to your normal function, and get you back to your normal environment as quickly as possible.” Getting back to familiar Dr. Derek Johnson surroundings and sleeping in your own bed makes recovery more relaxing. To make it possible for some patients to go home that quickly, the joint replacement team employs three strategies
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After suffering from excruciating hip pain for nearly a decade, Jeff Bellamy, 54, can now keep up with his wife, Lori, for a full day of shopping.
LIGHT ON YOUR FEET
About one-third of knee replacement patients gain weight after surgery, according to a 2013 study published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research. Researchers suspect that one reason is that patients are encouraged to lose weight before surgery but gain it back if they don't become active after surgery. Also, most patients have cut back on activity before surgery due to the pain — a hard habit that must be reversed after the pain is gone.
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To pursue post-surgery fitness: Faithfully do the exercises prescribed by your doctor The number and physical therapist of pounds Once you’re cleared for activity, set aside a half Jeff Bellamy hour most days of the week for low-impact dropped after hip activities such as: replacement • Walking • Swimming • Bicycling surgery • Golf • Dancing • Light tennis
to promote swift recovery. These steps also shorten hospital stays across the board, with 90 percent of hip and knee replacement patients at Parker Adventist Hospital leaving within 24 to 30 hours of surgery.
STEP
01
Tissue-sparing surgery
For hip replacement, the direct anterior surgical approach helps patients recover faster because no muscle tissue is cut. “We work through a window created by separating two muscles out of the way,” Johnson explains. For knee replacement, Parker Adventist Hospital surgeons spare as much soft tissue and muscle as possible. Also, “we avoid using tourniquets because they can cause muscle damage and postoperative weakness and pain,” Johnson adds.
STEP
02
Pain control that preserves mobility
“We’ve really worked hard at Parker to manage pain while minimizing narcotics and medications that are sedating, and without using long-acting nerve blocks that weaken muscles and prevent people from mobilizing quickly,” Johnson says. Instead, local anesthetic injections and nonnarcotic pain medication manage pain while allowing patients to get up and moving more quickly. “Dr. Johnson prescribed a couple of different medicines that really worked together to help relieve my pain,” Bellamy says.
STEP
PHOTO BY ELLEN JASKOL; FOOTPRINTS ©DOLLARPHOTOCLUB.COM/RATKOM
03
Accelerated rehabilitation
One of the most important keys to a successful joint replacement is physical therapy. And the faster patients get that — now within hours after surgery at Parker Adventist Hospital — the quicker and better they recover. “The physical therapists had me up and walking around that same day without pushing me too hard, which was really nice,” Bellamy says. Patients sit up on the edge of the bed within the first few hours and are ideally up and walking within four hours. A quick start to rehab helps a patient’s mind as well as his or her body, Johnson says. “There’s a psychological advantage to the patient to show them, ‘This thing works, it doesn’t hurt, and I can use it.’”
HOME FASTER
Joint replacement patients who have surgery at Parker Adventist Hospital return home to recover faster than most.
1 2 123
90% of knee and hip
patients at Parker Hospital return home in 2 days The national average for knee and hip patients, return to home is more than 3 days
&
15% 30%
of knee patients return home in 1 day of hip patients return home in 1 day
Before and After
After his hip replacement, Bellamy is thrilled to be back to long walks with his wife of 30 years. His weight had crept up a bit as his activity level diminished, but he went from 200 pounds to 179 in the first five months after surgery. “I’m sad that I waited so long,” he says. With chronic joint pain, “your quality of life is diminished and it doesn’t have to be.” Before surgery, “I couldn’t even walk the mall with my wife for more than 30 minutes without having to sit down because of the extreme pain,” Bellamy says. Now, “she’s really happy, and so is her shoe collection!”
FROM CAN’T TO CAN
From before surgery to after going home from the hospital, rehabilitation is aimed at getting patients back to full function after joint replacement as quickly as possible. “Our physical therapy process actually starts in pre-op class,” says Lara Palokangas, PT, DPT, coordinator of rehabilitation at Parker Adventist Hospital. Patients learn exercises to do at home that are similar to what they will do after surgery. “They set themselves up for success by getting their muscles used to those exercises ahead of time.” After surgery, physical therapy begins by measuring a patient’s function and setting goals. “We translate the patient’s desires into clinical goals that can be measured,” says Marty Euwema, PT, DPT, manager of rehabilitation. The therapist may encourage the patient to work toward climbing stairs, for example, and the patient may add the goal of being able to walk the dog. As strength and range of motion improve, therapists help patients remember how far they’ve come — a pick-me-up that also provides motivation to continue working.
Get your questions answered Come to a FREE community seminar on Thursday, Nov. 6, 6:30-8 p.m. with Dr. Derek Johnson, medical director of orthopedics, to learn more about hip and knee joint replacement surgery at Parker Adventist Hospital. See Page 3 for full details.
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Parker Adventist Hospital,
Become a
a Level III trauma center, is part of the Centura Health Trauma System, the region’s largest and most comprehensive network of trauma care and emergency services.
Tips to avoid the
top three winter injuries
AS THE TEMPERATURES DROP, visits to the ER rise, resulting in 25 percent more ER visits during the winter than the fall, according to the National Health Statistics Reports. “The colder temperatures and winter weather tend to lead to more injuries,” says Mark Elliott, MD, a board-certified emergency medicine physician with Centura Health South Denver Group, which includes Parker Adventist Hospital, Littleton Adventist Hospital, Porter Adventist Hospital, and Castle Rock Adventist Hospitals. “We also see a spike in ER visits due to participation in winter sports, like skiing and snowboarding.” Below is a rundown on how to avoid the three most common winter injuries.
Falls
Falls account for up to 60 percent of ER visits during winter months. While bumps and bruises are the most common fall-related injuries, one out of three leads to serious head injuries, lacerations, or fractures, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PREVENTION: Clear snow and ice from walkways and driveways (use kitty litter, sand, or deicer on tough areas) Wear shoes with extra grip or strap on shoe grips Walk more cautiously
Winter Sports
Winter sports result in half a million injuries annually, with snowboarding accounting for 25 percent of all winter sports-related ER visits, according to the CDC. Common injuries include strains and sprains, head injuries, eye injuries, fractures — and, especially in Colorado, knee injuries. PREVENTION: Warm up prior to the activity and then stretch while warm Wear a helmet when sledding, skiing, or snowboarding Wear goggles and sunscreen when out in the snow “For skiers, I recommend staying forward in your boots, as sitting back in your boots can set you up for ACL injuries in the knees,” Elliott says.
Cold Weather Exposure
Exposure to colder temperatures can lead to frostnip (itching and pain to skin), frostbite (tissue damage that often includes blistering, numbness, and pain to the exposed area), and hypothermia (cold exposure that leads to a drop in body temperature resulting in symptoms including shivering, confusion, memory loss, slurred speech, and drowsiness). Risk of hypothermia rises in the elderly and very young and after alcohol use. PREVENTION: Layer clothing and wear water-resistant clothing Change out of wet clothing as quickly as possible Avoid lengthy exposure to outdoor temperatures Hydrate well Avoid alcohol
“Anyone with a serious head injury, any obvious fractures, hypothermia symptoms, or concerns about head injury or frostbite should go to the ER immediately,” Elliott says. “Most other injuries, including bruises and strains, can be treated with rest and ice.”
Download the FREE iTriage health app to check ER wait times, check symptoms, and get answers to health questions: itriagehealth.com/mobile.
Parker Adventist Hospital 9395 Crown Crest Boulevard 303-269-4000
Porter Adventist Hospital 2525 South Downing Street 303-778-1955
Castle Rock Adventist Hospital 2350 Meadows Boulevard 720-455-2500
Southlands ER (opening in November) 6159 South Southlands Parkway 303-649-3000
Littleton Adventist Hospital (featuring separate pediatric ER) 7700 South Broadway 303-730-5800 6 ■ Fall 2014 ■
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PHOTO: ©DOLLARPHOTOCLUB.COM/XMAX54
Centura Health South Denver Emergency Facilities
Scarless Surgery
With virtually scarless single-site surgery, all you’ll remember are the benefits WHETHER A PRESSED FLOWER from a beautiful hike or a snow globe from a gift shop, a souvenir is tangible evidence of a memorable event. With FDA-approved single-site surgery for gallbladder removal or hysterectomy, these procedures can be virtually souvenir-free. “There is nothing nicer than looking down at your abdomen six months later and realizing you can’t find your scar,” says Christine Rogness, MD, a general surgeon who performs single-site procedures at Parker Adventist Hospital. BELLY BUTTON INCISION
Gallbladder surgery was one of the first procedures to be performed as a minimally invasive procedure. This type of surgery is called “laparoscopic” because it uses a thin, flexible fiber-optic tube (or laparoscope) and specially designed instruments to work through tiny incisions. Laparoscopy makes a large open incision unnecessary. Surgeons also can do laparoscopic surgery with the help of robotic instruments they maneuver from a control console. The robotic interface and instruments allow the surgeons better visualization and more precise movements than even traditional laparoscopy. “The lighting and the camera are so much better with robotic instruments,” Rogness says. “If laparoscopy is like an analog TV, Dr. Christine Rogness the da Vinci® robot is like HDTV.” Thanks to the precision of the da Vinci Surgical System, the Wendy Rasmussen describes single-site gallbladder surgery as single-site option lets surgeons reduce the four incisions of traditional laparoscopy "quick and easy." She was back to work and enjoying life with down to one incision through the belly button that is less than an inch long. her kids in a week and a half. Benefits of single-site surgery can include: Reduced or no scarring Reduced pain Low blood loss Lower infection risk Faster recovery Short hospital stay Specialists in With fewer incisions, “the patient has increased satisfaction,” Rogness says. “People use less pain medication, and there’s a quicker return to work.” single-site surgery
‘QUICK AND EASY’
Wendy Rasmussen, a social work case manager, had her gallbladder removed at Parker Adventist Hospital this past winter. “I was having trouble with abdominal pain,” Rasmussen says. “I was having increased pain after eating certain things, and increased heartburn.” When ultrasound showed Rasmussen needed gallbladder surgery, Rogness recommended the single-site procedure. “It was quick and easy,” Rasmussen says. “I’ve had a few surgeries in the past, and this was by far the easiest recovery. I had hardly any post-op pain, and I went home within hours. I was back to work in a week and a half.” Symptom relief is the only souvenir Rasmussen has from the virtually scarless surgery. “The one incision was right there in the belly button, so you can’t really see the scar,” she says. “You would never even know it was there.”
PHOTO BY ELLEN JASKOL
Is scarless surgery an option for you? Join Dr. Christine Rogness to learn more about scarless surgery and other advancements in surgery on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 6:30-8 p.m. See Page 3 for details.
Eight single-site surgeons operate at Parker Adventist Hospital — the largest number of single-site surgeons among Colorado facilities, according to da Vinci Surgical Systems, the manufacturer of single-site surgery instruments who trains all single-site surgeons. To learn more about this surgery and get a list of surgeons, go to parkerhospital.org/ single-site-surgery.
Parker Adventist Hospital's advanced robotic surgery program is supported by Centura Centers for Clinical Innovation, extending advanced health technologies across Colorado and western Kansas. grow
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Portercare Adventist Health System
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage
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9395 Crown Crest Blvd., Parker, CO 80138 grow is published quarterly by Parker Adventist Hospital—Portercare Adventist Health System—as part of our mission to nurture the health of the people in our community. To comment or unsubscribe, please email grow2@centura.org. grow is produced by Clementine LLC. of Littleton, Colo.
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9395 Crown Crest Blvd. Parker, CO 80138
Executive Editor: Rachel Robinson
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 303-804-8166. Copyright © Centura Health, 2014.
Advanced radiation for
breast cancer
patients limits risk
The Parker Cancer Center uses a four-pronged approach to reduce side effects: 1. Tailoring each breast cancer treatment plan to the patient’s specific anatomy using computerized planning based on CT scan images. “There’s no cookie-cutter approach,” Peddada says. 2. Using the TrueBeam linear accelerator to deliver radiation with pinpoint precision to the tumor site while avoiding healthy tissue. “It’s the most advanced linear accelerator in the world, with all the capabilities to do cardiac protection,” he says. 3. Using techniques such as “deep inspiration breath hold” in which a woman holds her breath to push the heart away from the treatment area and reduce radiation exposure. 4. Using internal radiation, called brachytherapy, to place seeds of radiation inside the breast. “If a patient has a really complicated lesion that’s close to the heart, we can treat it with nearly zero exposure to the heart,” Peddada says.
Cancer care close to home
Parker Adventist Hospital’s Cancer Center offers expert radiation therapy near you. To learn more, visit parkerhospital.org/cancer. We are part of the Centura Health Cancer Network, delivering integrated, advanced cancer care across the region.
Time for a mammogram? Schedule your annual mammogram at the Trio Breast Center by calling 303-269-4150. Or simply text your name to 303-816-8648 and our schedulers will call you within two business days to make your appointment. We will obtain your previous studies from other locations upon request.
PHOTO: ©DOLLARPHOTOCLUB.COM/LASZLOLORIK
RADIATION THERAPY is recommended for more than two-thirds of women who get breast cancer. Yet, some women choose to forgo this treatment out of fear of increased risk of heart disease. Advancements in treatment, however, have all but eliminated that risk, says Anuj Peddada, MD, medical director of radiation oncology at Parker Cancer Center at Parker Adventist Hospital. Take, for example, a 50-yearold woman who gets radiation for breast cancer this year and has no other risk factors for heart disease. “Her risk Dr. Anuj Peddada of dying from a heart attack 30 years from now is only about 1 percent higher than it would be if she didn’t have radiation,” Peddada says.