SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) -
Cutting-edge equipment for medical care is constantly changing and progressing.
That's why it's called state of the art. The Heart and Vascular Institute at Memorial University Health Center continues to make major innovations in heart care.
They recently received a one-time donation of $500,000 with $250,000 to continue each year. The gift is from a woman who considers herself one of the lucky ones and now others in the community are already benefiting.
Savannah Cardiologist Dr. John Spellman was on-call the day that Judith Thomas' genetics and other risk factors led up to a heart attack.
"My dad died of heart attack, and I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol," says Thomas. "[I] woke up with an elephant sitting on my chest, very characteristic."
That was in 2008. The Heart and Vascular Institute was just three years old with state-of-the-art equipment.
As technology progresses, equipment changes. So with the generous annual donation from Thomas, presented at the Downtown Rotary Club, her legacy will be helping to save the lives of others.
In the cath lab where Spellman so quickly cleared Thomas' artery, new bi-phasic defibrillators have been added using less energy for a better result.
"Within the first day we already used it successfully," Spellman said.
A new computer system replaces paper EKGs making them immediately available wherever they need them.
Spellman said that's not only important for cardiologists but for doctors in the emergency room to see subtle changes.
"This is a big deal," Spellman said.
Thomas agrees. "You can see history. You don't have to go back and recreate it. It's there at your fingertips," she said.
Three new cardiac ECHO machines that use sound waves to produce images of the heart have also been added. This all digital technology puts the images on the Internet making them available to doctors even at home.
A nuclear camera called a c-scan takes information from a treadmill stress test to a new level. The camera scans the chest of the patient the results are read on a computer.
"We saw that not only was there a problem, but where it was and the actual extent of the problem," Spellman said. "It looked like it was almost the whole bottom of the heart. This was significant."
Thomas says: "when you see the list of what they've been able to do, I'm very pleased with how they spent my money."
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Judith Thomas
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