Access Healthline – Your New Physician is Just a Phone Call Away The NCH Healthcare System is committed to helping the community we serve live longer, happier, and healthier lives, and to support this mission, we offer Access Healthline a free and easy to use resource for a wide variety of health care needs. With hundreds of physicians and dozens of affiliated health service providers, Access Healthline is just a phone call away and the most powerful source for the community’s health care needs. If you are looking for a doctor close to home, want more information about the services we offer, or have a question about NCH, you are able to call and speak with one of our representatives about the many healthcare options and physician choices that are available to you. NCH Healthcare System offers a wide variety of outpatient and inpatient services. Some of our inpatient services include cardiac, orthopedic, and critical care. Outpatient services include rehabilitation, wound care, and gastroenterology, to name a few. Our physician referral experts are on standby and ready to assist and answer any questions. They can help guide you in selecting a family physician or specialist who can meet your specific needs. This service is perfect for individuals that want to speak to a live person or are not internet savvy. Our goal at NCH is to provide quality healthcare and deliver an excellent patient experience. NCH is proud to be named one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care for the sixth year in a row according to new research released by Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians, and health systems. The healthcare system was also named America’s 100 best hospitals in spine surgery, stroke care, pulmonary care, prostate surgeries, gastrointestinal care, critical care, and general surgery. To speak with an Access Healthline representative, call anytime from 7am to 7pm, seven days a week at NCH-7777 (239-624-7777) . However, as always, NCH is available online at www.nchmd.org .
NCH Center for Breast Health Offers Advanced Hidden Scar ® Surgery
Hidden Scar ® surgery has revolutionized the way women see themselves after undergoing any one of a number of breast-related procedures. This fairly new technique utilizes a single incision in an area that minimizes visible scarring to the nipple, areola, and surrounding tissue. “Once a diagnosis and a treatment plan have settled in, and the patient realizes that she will be okay, other questions pop up,” explained Sharla Gayle Patterson, MD, MBA (HOM), FACS, who is a Board-Certified Breast Surgical Oncologist. Dr. Patterson performs the advanced procedure at the NCH Center for Breast Health at the NCH North campus. A compassionate, knowledgeable, and highly skilled medical provider, Dr. Patterson is very much empathetic to her patients’ concerns. “They ask, ‘How big is the scar? Can I wear a bathing suit or low-cut top showing cleavage?’,” said Dr. Patterson. “This procedure gives the patient freedom knowing they can wear whatever they choose and helps reduce mental and emotional trauma.” This surgical option is an answer to a prayer for patients who, for many years after surgery, may suffer every time they look in a mirror; just seeing their scar can be a trigger to relive their previous diagnosis, surgery, and cancer. “With this procedure, they can go on and live their lives, and without the constant daily reminder of what is, for some patients, a traumatic surgery,” explained Dr. Patterson. Patients undergoing any type of breast surgery that will require a hidden scar are eligible. Each patient is treated with respect as to their desired outcome, including the shape of their breast, and is presented with options for the positioning of the incision in a place where there will be no visible scar, explained Dr. Patterson. The three main areas of placing the incision are the armpit, under the breast where an underwire bra would be positioned, and in the areola margins, where the skin tone is naturally different than the surrounding skin color. This surgical technique can be performed with a lumpectomy, mastectomy, and cryoablation.
The NCH Center for Breast Health, one of the first to perform this ground-breaking procedure in our area, has been designated as a Hidden Scar® Center of Excellence; many other medical facilities hold only a designation of certified. The industry-sponsored designation is based on the procurement of specialized equipment that allows breast surgeons to perform successful breast conservation surgeries. In use since 2017, Hidden Scar surgery is now at the forefront, and the designation as a Hidden Scar® Center of Excellence brings awareness of the procedure, said Dr. Patterson.
Stay Safe on the Fourth of July For many, Independence Day means fireworks, and while you can count on receiving topnotch medical care at an NCH emergency department, you do NOT want to finish your Fourth of July evening there. “Fireworks are very dangerous and lead to many ED visits for burns to the extremities – hands, arms, and fingers,” said Kaitlen Magdalener MSN, RN-BC, supervisor at NCH Marco Urgent Care. The eyes are also especially susceptible, accounting for about 20 percent of fireworks-related injuries. In case of eye injuries, do not rinse, rub or apply pressure to the eyes; seek immediate medical care. Often, the injury will not be to an adult, but a child. “The most common age of those injured are children ages 10 to14,” said Magdalener. In 2018, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported five deaths from direct impact of fireworks, and more than 9,000 injuries were treated at emergency departments in the U.S., according to the Mayo Clinic. Those injuries include Southwest Florida, where the NCH Emergency Department sees them every year, often as a result of mixing alcohol with fireworks. “Some may think of sparklers as a safe alternative, but this is not true,” said Magdalener. “Sparklers can burn at 1,200 degrees, hot enough to cause third-degree burns, and are very dangerous due to the close proximity to the body. If you decide to use sparklers, be sure you aren’t wearing loose fitting clothing and that you are wearing close-toed shoes to prevent foot burns.” In addition to their obvious risks of injury due to burns, sparklers are also a fire hazard.
Insurance plans typically cover the hidden scar surgery as part of the overall breast surgery.
The NCH Center for Breast Health offers the most comprehensive services for women in the area. These include oncoplastic breast surgery, breast ultrasound, breast conservation surgery (Hidden Scar® surgery), ultrasound-guided surgical procedures, cryoablation of benign and cancerous breast tumors, prophylactic mastectomy, genetic testing, survivorship, and a high-risk clinic.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the NCH Center for Breast Health at (239) 624-8120 .
Symptoms of breast cancer
• Nipple discharge • Unusual changes in size, symmetry, shape of the breast • Changes in nipples from outward to inward or inward to outward Risks for breasts cancer • Post-menopause weight gain • Taking hormones for five or more years • Elevated BMI • Smoking Breast Health Services at NCH Center for Breast Health
The best way to enjoy fireworks? Leave it to the pros.
“The only safe way to view fireworks is to watch a professional show,” said Magdalener. “Even if fireworks are legal in your community, they are not safe around children.” If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency from fireworks, please call 9-1-1. For all other emergency injuries from fireworks, please visit the Marco Urgent Care Center or any of the NCH Immediate Care Centers or Emergency Departments located throughout Collier and South Lee Counties. For more information, visit nchmd.org .
• Oncoplastic breast surgery • Breast ultrasound (including nipple mapping) • Breast conservation surgery (Hidden Scar® surgery) • Ultrasound-guided surgical procedures • Cryoablation of benign and cancerous breast tumors • Prophylactic mastectomy • Genetic testing • Survivorship • High-Risk clinic
If you are going to set off do-it-yourself fireworks:
• Light one device at a time. Never attempt to relight a device that did not ignite the first time. • Have a bucket of water nearby to cool used sparkler wires and extinguish other fireworks.
• Keep small children far away from fireworks. • Never allow anyone under the influence of alcohol or drugs to use fireworks. • Once you light it, get away quickly.
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NCH HEALTHCARE SYSTEM | Helping everyone live a longer, happier, and healthier life.
JULY 2021
JULY 2021
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