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“My surgeon told me he would decide during surgery whether or not I could undergo breast reconstruction immediately, but I’m so glad he decided to wait before proceeding with implants. It gave me a chance to heal, and the results of my reconstruction are just remarkable,” said Sarah Bessin, a 47-year-old breast cancer survivor.  

Bessin was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2015. After she opted to begin breast reconstruction at the same time of her mastectomy in October 2015, Bessin reaped the benefits of undergoing breast reconstruction that combines two tissue-saving technologies to diagnose and avoid serious complications.

The unique combination of SPY Elite and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at MedStar Georgetown saved Bessin’s breast tissue and improved her breast reconstruction outcome. To date, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital is the only center in the Greater Washington, D.C., region offering the combination of SPY Elite and hyperbaric oxygen therapy for patients with breast cancer.

“Everything that we do in plastic surgery involves blood flow. If blood flow is disrupted, skin above it can flake off and even die. This is the reason we need to be able to anticipate those problems intraoperatively so we can act quickly,” says Troy Pittman, MD, Bessin’s breast reconstruction surgeon.  

A New Valuable Player in the Operating Room

After a mastectomy, the plastic surgery team enters the operating room with a fluorescent imaging system, SPY Elite. SPY Elite has a long arm that connects to an infrared lamp device, which is used for scanning over a patient’s body. A special contrast is injected through the patient’s IV line, and a TV monitor shows the scans of breast tissue and blood vessels in real time. A breast reconstruction surgeon will move the SPY Elite lamp over different areas of the breast to detect the quality of blood flow in breast tissue before proceeding with the surgery. The system’s monitoring of the blood flow helps surgeons determine if the patient’s tissue is in a safe state to move forward with surgery and place an implant. If blood flow is limited, surgeons will add hyperbaric oxygen therapy after surgery to promote healing in the tissue.

 “SPY Elite lets me look at the blood supply of the breast tissue and the nipple in real time. This helps us diagnose a problem early on and initiate hyperbaric oxygen within 24 hours, if we need to,” says Dr. Pittman.

SPYing a Problem

During Bessin’s procedure, the SPY Elite imaging system informed Dr. Pittman’s team that there were worrisome vascular changes in her breast skin following the mastectomy. To avoid compromising the vascular health of the skin, Dr. Pittman decided on a different plan. The new breast reconstruction approach for Bessin meant waiting on the implants and placing tissue expanders, a type of deflated temporary implant, in the surgery site. This plan allows for healing time in the hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber. 

“Our goal is to get patients in for treatment as soon as possible. We are aggressively treating the patient to save their breast tissue and augment their healing,” said Kelly Johnson-Arbor, MD, medical director of Hyperbaric Medicine in the Department of Plastic Surgery. “Our dedicated team of physicians, nurses and technicians works to ensure that patients remain safe and comfortable during their treatment regimen.”

Healing Tissue within Days

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy exposes patients to pure oxygen in a pressurized space. Sending patients to the hyperbaric oxygen chamber treats the initial blood flow issue and can help the patient avoid future healing problems. Although treatment begins within 24 hours after surgery, patients do not have to stay at the hospital. Patients will only visit the hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber once or twice a day for about an hour. 

Bessin’s tissue healed in only 13 hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatments. Her hyperbaric oxygen therapy schedule started with two visits to the hospital per day, which later decreased to one visit per day near the end of her treatment.  

“I bounced back quite quickly. I’m already working my normal schedule, and my energy level is back to normal,” said Bessin. “I’m so grateful to my doctors for providing this therapy!”

Treatment Affords Rest and Relaxation Time

Bessin said she spent most of her time relaxing in the hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, which is a large glass tube. In the chamber, patients are required to leave most items outside of the chamber to minimize any chance of creating a spark in the oxygen chamber.  Patients cannot wear makeup, lotion, nail polish or outside clothing, nor can they bring in cell phones, books or paper. A glass of water and a cotton gown are permitted inside the chamber. During treatment, a nurse or technician stays in the room the whole time to administer the hyperbaric oxygen therapy, answer questions or assist with movie selections.

“Georgetown has a great movie selection!” said Bessin.

Access for Every Breast Reconstruction Patient at MedStar Georgetown

Dr. Pittman has used SPY Elite with hyperbaric oxygen therapy at MedStar Georgetown for five years. For breast reconstruction, Dr. Pittman’s team uses SPY Elite on almost every patient, but particularly in those who want to begin breast reconstruction with an implant immediately after a mastectomy.

“SPY Elite and hyperbaric oxygen therapy allow us to aggressively treat patients safely and predictably,” said. Dr. Pittman. “This approach gives our patients the best chance for success.”

Dr. Michael Suter Named Chair; W. Daniel McLaughlin, Vice Chair

BALTIMORE, MD (October 2016) – The MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center Board of Directors elected internal medicine physician, Dr. Michael Suter, as the 31st chairman in the hospital’s 118-year history. It also announced W. Daniel McLaughlin will step into the vice chair role, and welcomed new members Denise Matricciani and Eric Washington to the 20-member board, effective November 1.

Baltimore business leader Michael Dietrich will step down from the chair position, ending his two year term.  He has been a MFSMC board member since 2008.

Dr. Suter, a board-certified internal medicine physician, has been providing care to the Baltimore community for 23 years. Currently, he sees patients at his private practice in Parkville, which he began in 2005.

Serving as president of the MedStar Franklin Square medical staff from 2004 to 2006, Dr. Suter joined the board of directors as an ex-officio member in 2004 and was elected to the board in 2009. He served as chair of the hospital’s physician committee for the patient tower capital campaign and on the community health improvement committee, and is an active member of the Foundation Board of Directors.

After completing a master’s degree in applied medical statistics at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Dr. Suter attended medical school at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He returned to the United States and completed his residency in internal medicine at MedStar Franklin Square.

W. Daniel McLaughlin is the president of Bay View Homecare Inc., a home and physician medical equipment supplier.

He was the former supervisor of the pulmonary function lab at St. Joseph Hospital and received his cardio pulmonary and pulmonary function technician licenses in 1983. Since then, Mr. McLaughlin has served on the capital campaign committee for the Kingsville Volunteer Fire Company and as chair of the MedStar Franklin Square Foundation Board of Directors.

Denise Matricciani is the corporate affairs manager for Erickson Living, where she is responsible for review programs that ensure compliance with state and federal laws, licenses and certifications required for each retirement community. She began her career with the Maryland Hospital Association and became vice president of Governmental Policy and Advocacy in 1998. Since that time, she has served on the Maryland Government Relations Association, Maryland Rural Health Association, and Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

Eric Washington is the student conduct administrator for the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), where he provides leadership training for student community advocates and upholds the college’s code of conduct. Prior to this role, Mr. Washington was the adult coordinator/admissions counselor, adjunct professor, and coordinator of the weekend college at CCBC. He served as a Maryland state representative for the United States Civil Rights Commission and as commissioner for the Baltimore County Human Relations Commission. Mr. Washington is also an active member of the Police Community Relations Council and Dundalk Renaissance Corporation.

About MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center
MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center is a not-for-profit 378-bed community teaching hospital located in the White Marsh section of eastern Baltimore County, Maryland. MedStar Franklin Square provides many medical and healthcare services, including a broad range of healthcare specialties, advanced technologies and treatments not traditionally found at community hospitals. The hospital is ranked third in admissions among all Maryland hospitals and is first in Emergency Department visits with more than 108,000 visits annually. MedStar Franklin Square is accredited by the Joint Commission and certified as a Primary Stroke Center and has earned some of the nation’s most prestigious quality awards including Magnet Designation for excellence in nursing, the Excellence Award for Quality Improvement from the Delmarva Foundation and inclusion in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital specialty ranking for four consecutive years. With more than 3,300 employees, MedStar Franklin Square is one of the largest employers in Baltimore County. Visit medstarfranklin.org for more information.

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