May News Round Up

Rana Pullatt, M.D. nationally recognized for clinical excellence

Rana Pullatt, M.D., division chief of Foregut and Metabolic Surgery, is the honored recipient of the ASMBS (American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) Foundation’s 2023 Clinical Excellence Award and will be formally recognized during the LEAD Awards Gala, which honors leaders in the field of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. The event is held during the annual ASMBS conference. The ASMBS is the pre-eminent bariatric and metabolic surgery society in the United States and the world. This award is given to Dr. Pullatt for pushing the limits of bariatric surgery and teaching surgeons the Duodenal Switch and SADI surgery techniques, considered the two most challenging bariatric surgery procedures. Dr. Pullatt regularly hosts surgeons from all over the country and the world who come to MUSC for training in these cutting-edge procedures.

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Strong faith and a love that’s lasted 57 years help Huger man beat esophageal cancer

The retirement years – when life slows down, gets a little easier. You have fewer obligations and more time to spend at the beach. Life for Mike Stelzer of Huger was good. And then – he got a cancer diagnosis. But don’t think for a moment that it’s dampened his spirits. The Stelzers were pleased to learn that Hollings has one of the best esophageal cancer treatment programs in the state.

“The management of esophageal cancer is very complex and requires the collaboration of a strong multidisciplinary team,” said Ian Bostock, M.D., who takes care of patients with lung cancer, esophageal cancer, mesothelioma, mediastinal tumors and chest wall tumors. “Technologic advances have allowed us to offer minimally invasive esophagectomies to our patients with excellent outcomes and improved quality of life. This surgical approach is a game changer, allowing for patients to recover faster and return to their normal lives more efficiently.” The surgery was successful, and Stelzer is now cancer free. 

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MUSC Health’s cardiogenic shock program expands and achieves new milestones

Arman Kilic, M.D., surgical director of the Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Program, leads a multidisciplinary cardiogenic shock team that has improved quality outcomes significantly and become a leading center for using temporary mechanical circulatory support devices to support shock patients.  In just two years, the team has implemented protocols and systems-based processes that have increased in-hospital survival rates for patients with cardiogenic shock from 30% to 70%. These quality improvements are a result of a dedicated multidisciplinary approach that has helped manage nearly 200 patients with shock in this time period.

Cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC procedure offer hope to patients with difficult-to-treat abdominal cancers 

Patients with tumors within the abdominal cavity often experience little or no symptoms. In addition, when the tumor spreads from its original location to the lining of the abdominal cavity, also known as the peritoneum, it can be difficult to treat using conventional therapies. Often, these difficult-to-treat cancers are diagnosed during studies to work up other medical conditions. That was the case for Margaret Carroll, a retired art teacher from Murrells Inlet. In the summer of 2021, she went to the emergency room at her local hospital for what seemed to be an abdominal hernia. Testing showed she not only had a hernia, but she also had a mass on her appendix. She was referred to MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, the only NCI-designated cancer center in South Carolina, where she was diagnosed with a low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm, or LAMN. 

Margaret learned that her treatment would include additional surgery and HIPEC, a unique type of chemotherapy delivery. “In treating patients with cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC, our goal is to surgically remove all of the macroscopic disease we can see,” said surgical oncologist Jeffrey Sutton, M.D., who joined MUSC Health in 2021 to lead the multidisciplinary team at Hollings that performs HIPEC for peritoneal surface malignancies. “After this is completed, we temporarily close the abdomen to infuse the heated chemotherapy to kill all the tiny microscopic cells that may persist.” 

Read about HIPEC surgery and the special bond Margaret formed with Dr. Sutton

More News and Announcements

Andrea Abbott, M.D. MSCR was named to the Scientific Program Committee of the Society of Surgical Oncology. Since the SSO's founding in 1940, the society has championed leading-edge education, research, and quality impacting the full spectrum of surgical oncology and cancer care. 

Denise Carneiro-Pla, M.D. was selected to serve as a Surgical Skills Course Speaker at Clinical Congress 2023, on October 22-25, 2023 in Boston, MA. Dr. Carneiro-Pla will also serve as the Meet the Session Moderator for the Transcutaneous Vocal Cord Ultrasound to Assess Vocal Cord Function session during the Clinical Congress.

Arman Kilic, M.D., was inducted into the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) during the AATS annual meeting. Since 1973, the AATS Foundation has supported cardiothoracic surgeons in research and education.

David Taber, Pharm.D. presented the "Transplant Immunosuppression Management: Results of the ISTEP" study at the VHA National Surgery Office Enhancing Transplantation Care for Veterans Conference.

Sharee Wright, M.D. was notified by the Group on Diversity Affairs that she was selected by her peers for the “Lift as You Climb” Diversity Mentorship Faculty Award. The recipients of this award are individuals who have taken the time to mentor underrepresented minority pathway participants, COM students, residents and/or faculty members, works to support the mission of diversity in the College of Medicine, and supports the community that we serve. 

Arjun Patel, M.D. PGY-2 , was awarded "Best Resident Presentation" at the Chest Wall Injury Society Meeting. Congratulations to Dr. Patel! This is the third year in a row an MUSC resident has received a presentation award!  A total of eight MUSC faculty and resident presentations were given during the meeting.