Blog

Coming Back from Broken Heart Syndrome

Debbie Holland was nearing 30 years as a deputy clerk to a Federal Judge when she had a cardiac episode. She had symptoms of a heart attack, but results showed she had no blockages or clots. As it turns out, Holland had suffered from “Broken Heart Syndrome.”

Broken Heart Syndrome or takotsubo cardiomyopathy is when adrenaline rushes into a person’s system, causing the heart to have difficulty pumping blood. This event can be triggered by physical extremes such as dehydration or high body temperature, but it can also be caused by... Read More »

Burn Awareness Week 2020

National Burn Awareness Week is an opportunity to raise awareness about types of burns and burn prevention. This year’s theme established by the American Burn Association is “Contact Burns - Hot Surfaces Damage Skin.”

Tara Wilson, M.D., medical director of Alexander Burn Center at Hillcrest Medical Center, has cared for a multitude of burn patients and emphasizes the importance of avoiding burns.

“Contact burns are caused by touching hot objects,” said Wilson. “Hot furnaces, cooking surfaces,... Read More »

Advanced Diabetic Wound Prevention and Care

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), around 30.3 million people in the United States have a form of diabetes, and many of these people experience complications caused by infected wounds.

Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower extremity amputations in the United States, and approximately 14-24 percent of patients with diabetes who develop a foot ulcer will require an amputation. Foot ulceration precedes 85 percent of diabetes-related amputations. However, research has shown, that development of a foot ulcer is preventable.

James Beebe, M.D.,... Read More »

Touching Lives with Palliative Care

Palliative care is a specialized form of medical care for people with serious illnesses. Regardless of diagnosis, the main goal of palliative care is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family with a focus on providing relief from symptoms and sufferings of a critical illness. Many people believe that palliative care is solely for hospice or end-of-life care. However, palliative care is appropriate at any stage in a serious illness and can be provided in combination with a curative treatment on an inpatient, outpatient, community or hospice basis.

November is... Read More »

Annual Mammogram Key to Successful Treatment

Barbara Mudd went in for her routine mammogram at Hillcrest South in early June 2019. When she received a call to return for a follow-up, she wasn’t immediately concerned, as she had been an active marathon walker for over 10 years and had no health problems.

Nonetheless, when she received the results of her mammogram, she was shocked. The mammogram revealed a small tumor in her breast tissue that hadn’t previously been detected. After a biopsy of the abnormal tissue, Mudd was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer: stage 1B, triple negative breast cancer, which is a... Read More »

Oklahoma Man Receives Exceptional Care at Hillcrest

It was over five years ago when Bob Wall experienced his first stroke. He and his wife, Lisa, were shopping in San Diego when she noticed he was mumbling and his face was drooping.

“He could barely lift his left arm,” Lisa said.

She was confident he was having a stroke. After a store employee quickly called an ambulance, Bob was rushed to the hospital, and just 24 hours later, he was discharged. With no history of stroke or heart problems, Bob and Lisa left with no answer as to what had caused the stroke.

Only two days later, Bob suffered a second stroke and was once... Read More »

Man Sings Praises About Care Provided at Hillcrest

Mike Compton was enjoying a mid-morning walk with his dogs when all of a sudden, he began struggling to breathe. He wasn’t experiencing chest pain or other symptoms of a heart attack, so he let the feeling pass, finishing his walk and returning home. While walking his dogs again that afternoon, he began to feel the same shortness of breath he felt that morning. Later, his physician examined him and after completing an EKG, Compton was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. After being admitted to Oklahoma Heart Institute, Alan Kaneshige, M.D., located a large clot in his left ventricle. The... Read More »

Focused on Zero

In order to achieve the highest level of quality and patient safety, Hillcrest Medical Center remains focused on pursuing the latest best practices and most advanced technologies in the health care industry. Hillcrest Medical Center’s Patient Safety Officer, Debra Allen, remains actively engaged in researching and implementing quality improvement initiatives focused on measuring and improving patient outcomes.

“It’s important to stay focused on the next level of excellence,” said Allen. “As health care environments continue to evolve, quality and patient safety remain our top... Read More »