Philip Stonecipher, of San Antonio, Texas, said he is back on his feet, after recent surgery at Henry Medical Center (HMC), for a condition which could have threatened his life.
Posted: 12:11 AM Mar 9, 2011
By Jason A. Smith
jsmith@henryherald.com
Philip Stonecipher, of San Antonio, Texas, said he is back on his feet, after recent surgery at Henry Medical Center (HMC), for a condition which could have threatened his life.
"I'm ready to go back to work," said Stonecipher, who is stationed at a medical command at Fort Gillem. "I'm going to take it easy for another week, and then, I should be good to go."
The U.S. Army reservist was the first patient to undergo a coronary angioplasty procedure at HMC. Stonecipher said his 40-minute surgery, on Feb. 28, almost did not happen.
"I was very lucky," he said. "The hospital had been approved to do stents on March 1, but they got special permission to do my stent, because I had a 99 percent blockage. I wasn't stable enough for them to move me all the way across the country to get it done."
Stonecipher had arrived at HMC's Emergency Department last month, believing he had, or was having, a heart attack, according to the hospital's public relations specialist, Michelle Nunnally.
"Cardiologist Muthusamy Sekar, M.D., determined that Stonecipher would need to undergo coronary angioplasty," Nunnally said. "Angioplasty is a common medical procedure, that can also improve symptoms of coronary heart disease, such as angina, chest pain or discomfort, and shortness of breath, reduce damage to the heart muscle caused by a heart attack -- and reduce the risk of death in some patients."
Stonecipher, who was awake for the operation, is married, and has six grown children. He said that following the surgery, the military made arrangements for his recuperation from the surgery. "I was on convalescent leave, so that I could fly to my wife, and so that she could see that I was fine," he said.
Nunnally added that the hospital spent the past six months developing its coronary angioplasty program, in collaboration with the Piedmont Heart Institute. "Program development included training staff, implementing policies and protocols and conducting simulated angioplasty procedures," Nunnally said.
HMC's Interim Director of Cardiovascular Services Roddy Calicott was a member of a four-person team that operated on Stonecipher. Calicott described angioplasty as a "simple" procedure.
"We put a wire across the blockage, that we can put other devices through," Calicott said. "A stent is put over the wire, across the blockage, and blown up with a balloon. The stent stays there, to keep the artery open."
He added that the angioplasty program allows HMC to provide more services for the community. "It goes along with our mission to provide high-quality care, close to home," Calicott said.
The largest cardiovascular practice in South Atlanta is getting bigger with the addition of a new office in Fayetteville, Georgia. In January, 2011 we opened our new office at 1260 Highway 54, Suite 102, Fayetteville, Georgia. This office is directly across the street from the Piedmont / Fayette Hospital.
Our new office is approximately 3,000 square feet and offers the same full-service, comprehensive cardiovascular care that AHA has offered to other geographical areas for the last 20 years. In addition to a full range of examination rooms, we also have diagnostic equipment including cardiac ultrasound and a nuclear stress testing suite. For those patients who live in the Fayetteville, Peachtree City or South Riverdale areas, we believe this to be a very convenient location. You can call any of our offices and book an appointment at this facility.
On November 29th, Dr. Binu (Dr. B.K.) joined AHA. But because you made it his medical residency in New Jersey and did a pacemaker and cardiac device Fellowship at Newark Beth Israel Hospital in Newark New Jersey. He did a cardiology fellowship at Tulane University in New Orleans and most recently completed his interventional cardiology fellowship at the University of Texas School of medicine in Houston Texas. Dr. BK will be working in our Riverdale office and will be anchoring our new Fayetteville office.
Contact us to receive more information
about how we can help you!
770-692-4000Click Here
