PGA Hall of Famer and 2- time major golf champion Greg Norman recently paid a visit to the Paley Orthopedic & Spine Institute to tour the facility, take some photos, and pass out gifts to the children being treated at the hospital. The visit was made possible by Simon Reilly whose daughter is currently a patient of Dr. Paley. The Reilly family, who are from Australia, reached out to Norman who is a fellow Aussie and lives in Jupiter, Florida. “The Shark” obliged with a visit to the institute and had the opportunity to meet the hospital staff who bring first class care to the Paley Orthopedic & Spine Institute at St. Mary’s Medical Center and the Palm Beach Children’s Hospital.

Pictured (l-r) Greg Norman, Simon Reilly, Demi Reilly, Sandy Reilly, Gabrielle Finley-Hazle – Chief Executive Officer St. Mary’s Medical Center & Palm Beach Children’s Hospital 


Jupiter Medical Center is among the first hospitals in South Florida to offer Zulresso™, a treatment for postpartum depression (PPD). Developed by Sage Therapeutics, Zulresso is the first and only medicine specifically approved to treat PPD, the most common medical complication of childbirth.

The typical treatment for postpartum depression includes a prescription of antidepressants and/or psychotherapy, with patients recovering within two to four weeks. Zulresso is delivered via continuous IV over 60 hours (2.5 days), offering the potential for the rapid treatment of depressive symptoms of PPD.
 
“Jupiter Medical Center remains on the cutting edge of providing safe, high quality patient care using state-of-the-art technology and advanced treatment options,” said Joanne Miller, interim co-CEO. “We are especially proud to be among the first in our community to provide this much-needed care for new mothers at this very delicate time.”
 
“This a major breakthrough in the treatment of postpartum depression,” said Dr. Dudley Brown, chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Jupiter Medical Center. “Zulresso works so quickly that patients can see improvement in their symptoms within days—instead of weeks. This will result in them feeling like themselves more quickly which will be beneficial for them, their newborn and their family.”
 
Approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in March of this year, Zulresso must be administered in health care facilities certified under the Zulresso Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program due to potential side effects during treatment. Throughout their IV process, patients are under observation for excessive sedation and sudden loss of consciousness, as well as continuous monitoring of their blood oxygen level. 


Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center recently had its second call of the Quarter Award by recognizing the Riviera Beach Fire Dept. – Rescue 89 for their quick responsiveness, and collaboration with the emergency department in saving a patient’s life. The team worked efficiently to save a patient in cardiac arrest, and kept them responsive until they reached PBGMC. The patient was then treated in the emergency department, and brought to the cathlab for a procedure. Following his recovery at the hospital, the patient was discharged and now recovering at home. The Call of the Quarter is designed to recognize the work of fire rescue departments in Palm Beach County to save patients’ lives every day.

Pictured (l-r) Tammy Levasseur, Stroke and Chest Pain Coordinator; Dr. Jason Sevald, Medical Director of PBGMC’s Emergency Department; Laurena Reese, Director of PBGMC’s Emergency Department; Chief Tom McCarthy, Chief of Riviera Beach Fire Rescue; Gabriel Ferro, firefighter paramedic; Alfred Copeland Couric, Firefigther Paramedic FTO; Scott Steele, Paramedic; Captain Scott Steele; Chief John Curd and Chief Keith Golden


Surgeons have treated a patient’s “dead” ankle bone with a custom, 3D-printed replacement for the first time at UHealth Tower and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

It was a “Terminator-style, 21st Century approach” to helping the 24-year-old patient, said Amiethab Aiyer, M.D., a UHealth orthopedic surgeon specializing in foot and ankle surgery.
 
“We believe that bringing this treatment to UHealth shows how we are at the vanguard of innovation and early incorporation of the most exciting surgical developments from around the world,” said Stephen Quinnan, M.D., a trauma orthopedic surgeon at UHealth. The two surgeons collaborated on the case.
 
Blood flow to one of Gracia Sylla’s ankle bones became compromised because of sickle cell disease. The lack of blood, in turn, led to the death of her talus bone, a process known as avascular necrosis (AVN).
 
“She had significant pain from AVN associated with the talus,” Dr. Aiyer said. This is a major bone within the ankle, one that is “particularly important for loading and movement, and activities like walking and running.”
 
Non-surgical approaches were recommended first. However, the patient came back after failing conservative measures.
 
“I was skeptical at first,” Sylla said when asked about her reaction to getting a 3D-printed implant. “I wondered, would my body reject it or not?”
 
Dr. Aiyer referred her to Dr. Quinnan for further evaluation. “When I first evaluated the patient, it was for consideration of possible ankle fusion,” Dr. Quinnan said. “Fusion of the ankle would traditionally have been the best option available for this young woman. However, there are several serious drawbacks – including the inability to move the ankle and the need for a complex reconstruction to avoid having a leg length difference.”
 
“I didn’t want to get my ankle fused,” Sylla said. “I want to be able to move it up and down.”
 
“I had seen success while in Australia and similar reports from Japan using an exciting new solution to simply replace the talus bone with a 3D-printed talus bone,” Dr. Quinnan added. “Due to her young age and the still normal appearance of the distal tibia part of the ankle joint, I thought this innovate approach was worth consideration. I discussed this with Dr. Aiyer, who noted he had recently met a 3D printing orthopedic company at a conference and we agreed to work together to offer the patient this exciting new treatment option.”
 
“Sometimes we have to think outside the box,” Dr. Aiyer said. “The variety of pathology we are seeing at the University of Miami really facilitates our ability to be creative with regards to solutions.”
 
They took CT scans of Sylla’s ankle. Then the surgeons worked with a company in Durham, North Carolina, to create custom, 3D-printed metallic bones based on the size of her talus. During the surgery, they tried three different sizes.
 
“We wanted to use the one with the best fit and avoid stuffing the ankle, which could limit her mobility,” Dr. Aiyer said. “But it was good to have options, because sometimes when you go in there, you find changes in bone morphology or there are bone defects that are not well appreciated on imaging.”
 
The procedure puts the Miller School on the forefront of using 3D printing technology to create orthopedic solutions customized for individual patients. Drs. Aiyer and Quinnan estimate that fewer than 100 such bone replacements have been performed in the United States to date.


Holy Cross Hospital, in collaboration with partners West Palm Beach Veteran Affairs Medical Center, C.L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics, FAU Community Health Center and Community Health of South Florida, Inc., has announced a new Health Research and Services Administration Award at Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing.

The award, the Caring-based Academic Partnerships in Excellence: Veteran RNs in Primary Care (CAPE-V), is open to veterans who would like to earn their BSN degree to practice in a primary care setting and work with vulnerable and underserved populations. With CAPE-V, BSN students who are veterans will receive stipends, enriched curricula and a 180-hour clinical immersion experience in a community-based primary care center. RNs working in primary care and the College of Nursing faculty and students will receive professional development training focused on veterans and primary care.
 
This project aims to create healthier communities through educating and clinically training nursing students, specifically veterans, in primary care to better serve the unique needs of veterans and who are ready and willing to serve rural and underserved communities.
 
Veterans who would like to earn a BSN degree can apply for the award here. For more information, contact Dr. Beth King at bking@health.fau.edu.