CAY HILL--Angela Halley (65), the first person to undergo a pacemaker implantation at St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) in May, is doing well.
Visiting cardiologist Dr. Meredith Sedney of Bronovo Hospital in the Netherlands monitored the functioning of the pacemaker in the presence of Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, Health Minister Cornelius de Weever, SMMC General Director Dr. George Scot and other persons at SMMC on Wednesday.
"The pacemaker is working optimally and it will be working fine for the next 10 years. The patient will have to test the functioning of the pacemaker every three to six months initially, then every year," Dr. Sedney explained.
SMMC also announced that it had acquired a new echocardiography machine that would help significantly with the diagnosis of heart ailments and would be pivotal to the functioning of the new Cardiology Department. The new equipment arrived on-island on Tuesday.
Halley had been fainting unexpectedly every so often prior to the pacemaker implantation, a typical sign of Adams-Stokes disease, which is a sudden collapse into unconsciousness due to a disorder of the heart rhythm whereby there is a slow or absent pulse. This disease can be fatal.
There was an urgent need to help Halley. She was admitted to SMMC in May and the decision was taken to carry out the operation, which was a huge success. Dr. Sedney and local professionals at SMMC performed the operation.
Dr. Sedney, who has been visiting St. Maarten for several months as part of efforts to setup SMMC's Cardiology Department, said on Wednesday, "The patient has been feeling 100 per cent better."
Halley said she had been complaining about fainting bouts for a long time. She originally visited a cardiologist in French St. Martin, but said she had not followed up on that visit. She had not wanted to have the procedure done outside of St. Maarten and was happy that she had been able to have it done here at home.
Dr. Scot said it was important that patients follow up on their doctors' advice and Dr. Sedney underscored the need for more focus on preventative care.
Dr. Sedney and cardiologist Dr. Miriam Haverkamp, also of Bronovo Hospital, are among the team of specialists who visit St. Maarten to set up SMMC's Cardiology Department.
SMMC said in May that it was in discussions with government to have tariffs set so that the department could be established fully. Once a tariff structure is set, the opening of the cardiology department can be accelerated.
It has been determined that based on St. Maarten's population at least one fully functioning cardiologist is needed.
Dr. Sedney had told The Daily Herald earlier that it was believed many persons in St. Maarten were suffering from heart disease, as is the case in other parts of the world.
Christina Aguilera The US embassy cables Work & careers Hacking Financial Services Authority (FSA) Xabi Alonso
No comments:
Post a Comment