The Jazz Foundation of America held its annual gala concert, “A Great Night in Harlem,” in October 2014 at the Apollo Theater. Raising funds to support jazz and blues musicians in crisis, the event also honored Englewood Hospital and Medical Center and oncologist Dr. Frank Forte for supporting jazz musicians by providing free care, courtesy of the Dizzy Gillespie Memorial Fund. Actor and musician Bruce Willis presented this award to EHMC.
When newlywed Karina woke up one morning with a painful headache and numbness in her face, she was incredibly concerned. An MRI detected an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in her brain, a condition that causes an abnormal connection between the arteries and veins. She turned to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center to perform delicate and complex brain surgery after learning that if left untreated, the blood vessels could rupture and lead to fatal bleeding in her brain.
Posted on June 8, 2016
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center was out in full force at the Outlets at Bergen Town Center on Saturday, May 7, 2016, as the sponsor of the Bergen Family Health Day. The 50+ EHMC employees, physicians, and volunteers who participated in the event shared valuable health information with mall customers at information tables, offered free screenings and interactive activities, and gave presentations and demonstrations. The event was co-presented by Bergen Health & Life magazine.
Like most patients, Steve showed up in Dr. Marc Arginteanu’s neurosurgery practice because of unrelenting pain. The pain in his neck was becoming unbearable and progressing in alarming ways. His left arm was getting weaker and weaker, becoming so difficult to move that it was atrophying. He was barely able to continue working as a plumber but perhaps more devastating, he was no longer able to go on his exotic diving excursions.
“He was in too much pain to do much of anything,” said Dr. Arginteanu, who is also chief of neurosurgery at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. “He was really suffering a lot.”
Tests showed that Steve had a herniated cervical disc that was pressing on his spinal cord and compressing a nerve that affected the arm, resulting in weakness. Herniated cervical discs are most often caused by a traumatic event like an accident or a fall, but sometimes it’s simply the result of wear or tear or even genetics. Whatever the cause, Steve’s life as he knew it was at a painful standstill. Like most, he wanted to avoid surgery. Dr. Arginteanu, heeding Steve’s wishes, administered steroid medications but they did little to improve Steve’s quality of life.
“Any surgery involving the spinal cord is scary because the risks involved are significant. There could be death, coma, stroke, paralysis,” said Dr. Arginteanu. “I could clearly see this situation wasn’t going to get better and that without surgery, he’d continue to lose use of his arm.”
In October 2015, Dr. Arginteanu performed spinal surgery, making an incision through the front of Steve’s neck to replace the cervical disc with a special plastic cage that would prevent compression. With Dr. Arginteanu’s help, Steve was able to return to the depths of the ocean.
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center was the official hospital sponsor for the America Cancer Society’s 29th annual George Washington Bridge Challenge on June 5, 2016. Employees and medical staff joined the more than 3,000 cancer patients, survivors, family, and friends, for the 5K/10K run/walk, and Englewood Hospital set up an information table about cancer risk and services.
As part of Englewood Hospital and Medical Center’s commitment to the community’s overall wellness, the 2015 Leadership Concussion Consortium program aimed to bring information to local athletic coaches and players about early warning signs, risk factors, and preventive measures they can take to reduce the incidence of concussion and other neurological problems that can arise from certain athletic activities.
Posted on June 6, 2016
The debate continues on when to start getting mammograms and how often. Last year, the American Cancer Society (ACS) issued new screening guidelines and prior to the ACS’s announcement, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)—a panel of independent, government-appointed physicians—drew up its own guidelines. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has recommendations, as well.
According to the new guidelines by the ACS, women with an average risk of breast cancer should start getting mammograms at age 45 and continue once a year until age 54. Previously, the ACS recommended women of that same risk group get yearly mammograms starting at age 40.
USPSTF recommends that women ages 50-74 who have an average risk of breast cancer receive mammograms every other year (biennially).
Meanwhile, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists maintained its recommendations that women with an average risk of breast cancer start getting mammograms at age 40.
With so much conflicting information out there causing confusion, Mindy Goldfischer, MD, chief of breast imaging at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, weighs in on what these guidelines means.
Q: How do you explain these different recommendations from various groups?
Dr. Goldfischer: The guidelines differ because the organizations evaluated the data differently. There are two big differences. The USPSTF made its recommendations based on benefits to the population and on modeling studies, whereas the ACS made its recommendations based on benefits to individuals and on actual data.
USPSTF put a great emphasis on the “harms” of screening like false positives, biopsies, anxiety, and overdiagnosis, while the ACS did not stress those factors. Instead, the ACS stressed that the real issue of risk is related to a woman’s menopausal status, not her age.
Q: What do you recommend for a woman with average risk of breast cancer?
Dr. Goldfischer: Women with an average risk should begin having mammograms at age 40 and continue to have one every year. While the incidence of breast cancer in premenopausal women is low, such cancers are known to be more aggressive, so it is even more important to scan these women every year. The Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium, funded by the National Cancer Institute, found that among premenopausal women, biennial screenings had a higher proportion of tumors with advanced stage.
Q: Some studies suggest mammography in younger women is not as helpful because it leads to false positives and heightened anxiety. What is your response to that?
Dr. Goldfischer: Mammography is not as helpful in women who have dense breasts at any age. Those most likely to have dense breast tissue are premenopausal women, typically up to age 55.
False positives refer to calling a woman back for an additional mammogram view or sonogram, not necessarily a biopsy that turns out to be benign. At Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, we have found that patients are grateful for the careful scrutiny of their results and are relieved when the results are benign.
There is the rare individual who is anxious about having a mammogram, regardless of whether there’s been a previous “false positive” result. In these cases, the screening can be scheduled so that the mammogram is reviewed while the patient waits.
Even in dense breast tissue, many cancers can be identified. A 3D mammography/digital breast tomosynthesis, for example, has improved the detection of masses in dense breast tissue. Breast ultrasound is also an excellent method for evaluating dense breast tissue and is commonly recommended for women of average risk as a supplement to annual mammography.
Posted on June 6, 2016
Designed to encourage prevention, early intervention, and peace of mind, The Braverman Family Executive Wellness Program offers individuals an opportunity to have every medical issue addressed through a comprehensive, single-day health and wellness assessment. Evaluations include blood work, cardiovascular tests, a fitness assessment, a bone density test, as well as a consultation with a dietitian and an exercise physiologist to assess lifestyle factors and other individualized health risks so a management plan can be developed.
Posted on April 20, 2016
For days Sunmin dealt with a progressively painful stomach ache until she couldn’t take the pain any longer. After going to her pediatrician she found that her appendix burst, and she needed emergency appendectomy surgery. Not realizing how critical a ruptured appendix was, but not wanting to wait, the family turned to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, where Sunmin received the humanistic emergency care that saved her life and put her family’s fears at ease. Learn more about Sunmin’s journey back to health and her study of Kumdo–a Korean martial art to which she is proudly a second-degree black belt.
Posted on February 26, 2016
From providing personalized cancer care to successfully performing major spine surgery and everything in between, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center has helped generations of the Ippolito family return to health and wellness.
Posted on February 24, 2016
