MUSC Catalyst

January 20, 2012

MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA

Vol. 30, No. 21

Luck, novel treatment save the day

By Dawn Brazell Public Relations

I

t was Dec. 13, late afternoon on a warm Tuesday, a good day for a run or so Justin Repshas thought. The College of Charleston senior had finished a tough exam and needed a break before studying for his next test.

Meanwhile, MUSC College of Nursing student Meg Skeele was having a very bad day.

She was exhausted between exams and work and just felt out of sorts in general. A friend coaxed her to go out to eat to cheer her up. She agreed.

In an unusual turn of events, MUSC research fellow Michael Bernard, M.D., Ph.D., was able to leave work early — a very rare event — to go Christmas shopping for his wife at a cookware store downtown.

How they all happened to end up on a side street downtown just when Repshas’ life depended on it, no one knows. Repshas is just glad they did. The three recently got to meet at MUSC, celebrate how well Repshas is doing and share their stories.

2

See Repshas on page 8

Dr. Michael Bernard, Justin Repshas and Meg Skeele meet at MUSC to celebrate how well Repshas is recovering following his collapse Dec. 13.

The Diagnosis:

Repshas has left ventricle noncompaction cardiomyopathy. It’s an abnormal development of heart muscle where the muscle fibers do not form a compact layer. Instead the muscle fibers are loosely packed in almost a spongelike manner, which can lead to heart failure,

tobaCCo-free marCh 1 MUSC employees and students may take advantage of free smoking-cessation classes

4

arrhythmias and other heart disorders.

Occurrence:

Repshas condition is very rare (1-2 per 1,000,000 people). Bernard said there are doctors who’ve been at MUSC for three decades who haven’t seen this type of case. Repshas is treated with hypothermia protocol.

Community support

3

Excellence in Nursing

MUSC employees and staff give back through Trident United Way.

5

Meet Allyson

11

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READ THE CATALYST ONLINE - http://www.musc.edu/catalyst

2 The CaTalysT, January 20, 2012

Employees offered free smoking cessation resources The word is out; MUSC is becoming tobacco-free March 1.

In support of those employees and students who choose to quit smoking as a result of this policy or who are simply ready to kick the habit, MUSC President Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., requested that smoking-cessation resources be made available free of charge for a sixmonth period to coincide with the new tobacco-free campus policy.

A multi-disciplinary team of professionals, led by Susan Johnson, Ph.D., of MUSC Employee Wellness, has developed a comprehensive program, MUSC’s Pitch the Pack, to help smokers quit — free of charge.

“Knowing that a combination of medication and therapy creates the best results, we are providing classes, counseling, and medications free of charge for our folks,” Johnson said. “We have options to meet every schedule and preference – whether it is face to face, online, telephonic or simply to go solo with the help of cessation medications.”

The program uses resources from the MUSC community – from psychologists and physicians to pharmacists and dietitians – to provide as many opportunities to help employees and students quit.

Pitch the Pack is available to MUSC students and employees free of charge through June. The first step is to complete the online enrollment form at http://www.musc.edu/medcenter/ health1st. Questions will direct the student or employee to services, including one month of nicotine

Editorial of fice MUSC Office of Public Relations 135 Cannon Street, Suite 403C, Charleston, SC 29425.

843-792-4107 Fax: 843-792-6723 Editor: Kim Draughn catalyst@musc.edu Catalyst staff: Cindy Abole, aboleca@musc.edu Dawn Brazell, brazell@musc.edu

Clearing the Air Pitch the Pack program replacement therapy or a one-month starter supply of prescription medication as recommended by a physician.

Students will be directed to Student Health or Counseling and Psychological Services for individual consultations.

Employees should visit their physician or may be referred to MUSC Family Medicine or Rapid Access physicians for assistance. Coupons for medications must be redeemed at MUSC pharmacies or MUSC Family Medicine to take advantage of the free offer. Registration for classes is available through the online enrollment form and includes: p Smoking Cessation Clinics – Monthly three-session cessation clinics facilitated by a multidisciplinary team, including physicians, psychologists and trained staff free of charge for MUSC employees, The Catalyst is published once a week.

Paid adver tisements, which do not represent an endorsement by MUSC or the State of South Carolina, are handled by Island Publications Inc., Moultrie News, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, S.C., 843-849-1778 or 843-958-7490. E-mail: sales@moultrienews.com.

students and family members. Classes meet once a week at 5:30 p.m., Room 102, Colbert Education Center & Library beginning Jan. 23. p Non-Smoking Section – Offered by the Institute of Psychiatry, Quit Smoking class from noon to 1 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month, at the Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs (CDAP), 4-North, beginning Feb. 1. The class is conducted by a licensed clinical psychologist and offers suggestions to help achieve a smoke-free lifestyle. Anyone is welcome to attend; no pre-registration is needed. p Freedom From Smoking Clinic – Developed by the American Lung Association and provides a group setting for adults to work through the quitting process. There are eight group sessions led by trained facilitators and physicians who are also MUSC employees. This clinic is open to all MUSC employees, students and spouses. This seven-week clinic meets at noon on Thursdays in Room 102, Colbert Education Center & Library beginning April 19.

In addition to group classes, the following individual resources are available in person, online or by phone: p Pharmacy Counseling – Clinical pharmacists are available at any MUSC pharmacy to answer questions related to cessation medications and conditions. Participants may be eligible for one-on-one specialized counseling with a credentialed pharmacist through the pharmacotherapy clinic if referred by an MUSC physician. This program provides an individualized smoking cessation program developed by ambulatory clinical specialists that may involve behavior modification, medications and other resources. For information, call 876-0199 or visit http://www.muschealth.com/ prescriptionrefill/. p Quit for Life Program – This online program was developed by the American Cancer Society and Alere Wellbeing and is offered by the State Health Plan and BlueChoice to subscribers and their covered dependents. It includes a short term supply of nicotine replacement therapy free of charge and individual

phone consultations by an individual quit coach. Free for employees covered under the state health plan, visit https:// www.quitnow.net/scstatehealthplan/ ProgramLookup/EnrollNow/ to register. p The SC Tobacco Quit Line – Free to all S.C. residents, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) or visit http://www.scdhec. gov/health/chcdp/tobacco/quitforkeeps. htm.

Participants who register for Pitch the Pack through the online enrollment form may be eligible to participate in a study using a smart phone app designed to relieve stress activated urges to smoke, led by researchers Frank Treiber, Ph.D., and Jeanette Andrews, Ph.D., of MUSC College of Nursing. In addition, all participants will receive a complimentary success kit filled with gifts to help them successfully stop smoking such as pedometers, stress balls, exercise bands, passes to the Wellness Center and coupons for a free beverage at MUSC cafeterias. Follow-up consultations and support groups will be available to ensure long-term success.

For information on Pitch the Pack, call 792-1245 or email musc-empwell@ musc.edu. Other opportunities to learn about resources will be provided on Tobacco Free Tuesdays the month of February. One-hour information sessions will provide employees and students the opportunity to learn about cessation options during their lunch break. Classes are scheduled at noon in Room 113, Colbert Education Center & Library.

Information booths will also be set up in various locations between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Feb. 14, 21 and 28.

For information on MUSC’s Tobaccofree campus and policy, visit http://www. musc.edu/tobaccofree.

“MUSC is committed to creating a culture of wellness and providing these services is just one step in our journey to a healthier community and a healthier South Carolina,” said Johnson. Visit http://tinyurl.com/7ll6y5n.

To view a video of Respiratory Care’s Amanda McGarrigle, visit http://tinyurl. com/7lm3fe2. McGarrigle talks about the effects of carbon monoxide found in cigarettes.

The CaTalysT, January 20, 2012 3

Statewide nursing awards honors MUSC recipients

By CinDy aBole Public Relations

F

ive MUSC nurses were recognized for excellence and outstanding contributions to health care in the Palmetto state by the South Carolina League for Nursing. The 2011 Award for Excellence was presented to MUSC nurses during the annual awards banquet Nov. 11 in Columbia.

Award recipients include Jeanne Barriera and Melinda Biller, Children’s Hospital, June Darby, Melissa Forinash and Leah Ramos of the University Hospital. Tiffany H. Williams, a nursing instructor in the College of Nursing, received a teaching scholarship.

Barriera is an advanced practice nurse honored for her contribution to evidenced-based practice in breastfeeding. A lactation consultant in MUSC’s Lactation Center, Barriera works with very low birth weight infants and their mothers to increase breastfeeding rates among term mothers and infants.

Biller is nurse manager of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. She has been instrumental in promoting an interdisciplinary, evidenced-based practice to ensure a high level of specialty care in her 11-bed unit.

Described as a collaborator and advocate for her nurses, Biller is involved with improving programs for patient safety.

MUSC nurses Leah Ramos, from left, June Darby and Melissa Forinash were among six nurses recognized for nursing excellence as recipients of the 2011 S.C. League for Nursing awards. Not pictured are Children’s Hospital honorees Jeanne Barriera and Melinda Biller.

College of Nursing’s Tiffany H. Williams was a recipient of a teaching scholarship.

Darby is a 40-year nursing veteran who works as the administrator for the Neuroscience Service Line. Darby

began working at MUSC in 1998 as a manager of the Adult Medical Surgical Services area in Ambulatory Care and later as director of nursing for Therapeutic Services in 2004. She serves as president of the S.C. Organization of Nurse Leaders.

Forinash, director of patient care systems and business support services, OCIO, was recognized for her excellence and experience working in nursing and health care information technology. A nurse of 36 years, Forinash has been involved in multiple key hospital system applications and nursing informatics programs combining the effective use of technology and health care to improve the patient experience.

Ramos is nurse manager of the 9East Neuroscience Intermediate Unit, a 23-bed step-down unit and one of the primary units for the Joint Commissionaccredited Primary Stroke Center. Named recently as MUSC Nurse Manager of the Year, Ramos is regarded as a mentor, leader and role model to her staff and colleagues.

Williams received both her undergraduate and master’s degrees in nursing from MUSC. With 18 years of pediatric nursing experience, Williams is an active advocate for families parenting children with special needs. She works with her faculty practice at the Franklin C. Fetter John’s Island site and MUSC schoolbased health clinics in the Tri-county.

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Employees, staff supports charities, organizations

MUSC would like to thank the hundreds of MUSC, Medical University Hospital Authority, MUSC Physicians and Carolina Family Care employees who donated during the 2011 Trident United Way (TUW) Campaign.

More than $192,000 was raised for TUW’s charitable organizations in the Lowcountry. For information on the campaign, call 792-1973. Thank you to the following individuals who donated this year:

Employees donating up to $1,000 each

Jayne Ahlstrom, Mary Albano, Concetta Albertine, Jennifer Aldrich, Mary Allen, Shirley Anderson, Richard Anderson, Andrew Atz, Thierry Bacro, Luanna Bartholomew, Lillian Batiste, Susan Bishop, Deborah Blackwell, Marcy Bolster, Beth Borden, Andrew Bracken, Karen Bridgeman, Robert Brooks, Deborah Browning, Faith Brownlee, Faith Butler, Deborah Byrd, Maryann Carruthers, Gena Ciabattari, Susan Clark, Deborah Cody, Kristen Coe, Carleen Cohen, Brian Collins, Cassidy Conner, Harriet Cooney, Linda Cope, Betty Craig, Jean Craig, Kathryn Cullinan, Bienvenido Dadulla, Camilia Darby, Anna Delamar, Joseph Dipiro, Christopher Discolo, Ann Donaldson, Becky Dornisch, Arly Douglass, Erin Drevets, Mary Dubis, Judy Dubno, Susan Duckworth, Valerie Durkalski-Mauldin, Dallas Ellis, Gwendolyn Ewing, Charles Ferguson, Pamela Ferguson, Mary Fischer, Jeanine Gage, Christine Gainer, Barbara Garrett, Gerry Garza, Candace Gillespie, Sharon Gilliard, Therese Ann Ginn, Helen Gosnell, Kesha Graham Brett Green, David Habib, Dieter Haemmerich, Myra Haney, Nasiru Haruna, Ray Heissenbuttle, Marilyn Henderson, Karen Hills, Karen Hiott, Cynthia Hipp, John Holmes, Patricia Iverson, Richard Jablonski, Leigh Jaimes, Nicole Jefferson, Dorothea Jenkins, Andre Kadima, Diane Kamen, Cynthia Karr, Michael Keels, Jane Kelley, Kelly Kercher, Lisa Kerr, Sharon Kest, Peter Kobes, Kathleen Kuhn, Michelle Lattimore, Anne Leclercq, Morris Lent, Eric Lentsch, Susan Lucas, Nancy Macaulay, Stephen Malley, Phyllis Malpas, Leigh Manzi, Vicki Marsi, Debbie McCravy, Marshall McFadden, Toni McHugh, Nancy McKeehan, Whitney McLuen, Meaghan McNamara, Ted Meyer, Maralynne Mitcham, Jennifer Nall, Jean Nappi, Pauline Nelson, Brad Neville, James Oates, Stephanie Oberempt, Terrence O'Brien, Kimberly Orr, Alison Padlan Gillette, G. Shashidhar Pai, Wendy Parker, Elizabeth Parrish, Lauree Pearson, John Pigott, Tiombe Plair, Susan Pletcher, Joseph Powell, Robert Poyer, Katherine Prechter, Amanda Putney, Carolyn Ragsdale, Deborah Reynolds, Beth-Ann Rhoton, Shannon Richards-Slaughter, Catherine Rogers, Robin Rose, Erica Rouvalis, Debra Ryan, Naomi Sampson, Betty Sandifer, Rodney Schlosser, Sharon Schuler, Suzanne Scott, Anbesaw Selassie, Melissa Serrano, Hazel Shefton, Michelle Shorter, Donna Simmons, Joseph Sistino, Judith Skoner, Karen Sloggatt, Allison Slyby, Zachary Soler, Edward Soltis, Nancy Springs, Terry Stanley, Sally Stroud, Kellie Suggs, Nancy Tassin, Paula Thies, Ken-

neth Thomas, Michael Ullian, Odessa Ussery, Karen Wager, Robert Warren, Karen Weaver, Nancy Wessell, Susan Wetherholt, Karen Wiggers, Chara Williams, Kimberly Willis, Laurel Willis, Melissa Wimberly, Marilyn Winkel, Cynthia Wright and James Zoller.

More than $1,000 each

Anne Abel, David Adams, Lawrence Afrin, Thomas Anderson, Raymond Anton, Jane Ariail, David Bachman, Prabhakar Baliga, Nicholas Batalis, John Bosso, Thomas Brothers, Amy Campbell, James Carter, Donald Castell, Laurine Charles, Alexander Chessman, Philip Costello, Peter Cotton, Caroline Counts, Fred Crawford, Nancy Curry, Terrence Day, Brenda Dorman, Nancy Duffy, James Edwards, Juanita Epps, Evert Eriksson, Howard Evert, Samir Fakhry, Jim Fisher, David Garr, Marion Gillespie, Michael Gold, Raymond Greenberg, Richard Gross, Orin Guidry, James Harris, Langdon Hartsock, Marc Hassid, Joshua Hornig, Mark Hoy, Walter Huda,

William Hueston, Peter Kalivas, Darcy Kalles, Janice Key, Dana King, John Kratz, Jerome Kurent, Jan Kylstra, Paul Lambert, John Lazarchick, Stuart Leon, Walter Limehouse, Kathleen Mahoney, Mary Mauldin, Jill Jenkins, William McKibbin, Bruce Mills, Lisa Montgomery, David Neff, Roger Newman, Edward Norcross, Paul O'Brien, Steven Ornstein, Murray Passo, Krisha Patel, Steve Paterniti, Fletcher Penney, Mae Millicent Peterseim, Jennifer Pierce, Etta Pisano, Ross Pollack, Paul Pritchard, Shannon Ravenel, Charles Rittenberg, Martha Roddy, Eric Rovner, Michelle Rovner, Lisa Saladin, J. Philip Saul, Peggy Schachte, Marilyn Schaffner, Michael Schmidt, Sally Self, William Simpson, Chloe Singleton, Charles Smith, Rosanne Smith, W. Stuart Smith, David Soper, Mark Sothmann, David Soutter, Eve Spratt, Gail Stuart, M. Michael Swindle, Fred Tecklenburg, Paul Underwood, Bruce Usher, James Vandorsten, Dennis Watson, C. Wayne Weart, David White, Amy Wilson, Daynna Wolff and Catherine Wood.

Recipient of Feldberg Endowed Chair named

MUSC’s Storm Eye Institute hosted a dinner in honor of Dr. Baerbel Rohrer who is the recipient of the Stanley H. and Theodora L. Feldberg Endowed Chair. Rohrer is a principal investigator at the institute whose eye research focuses on neuro-protective agents in retina development and disease. From left are: Margery Feldberg of New York; Dr. Lucian V. Del Priore, Pierre Jenkins Professor and Chair, Ophthalmology Department; Mark Feldberg of California; Dr. William Stell, University of Calgary, Canada; Theodora L. Feldberg of Hilton Head Island; Rohrer; Dr. Christian Rohrer and Doris Rohrer of Stuttgart, Germany; Dr. Ray Greenberg, MUSC president; and Dr. Etta Pisano, dean of the College of Medicine.

The CaTalysT, January 20, 2012 5

Meet Allyson

MUSC to observe Primary Care Week

Allyson Dodson College Second semester, Accelerated Bachelor of Nursing Program in the College of Nursing How are you changing what’s possible at MUSC I am taking an active role in preventing childhood obesity through programs such as the Junior Doctors of Health.

For more information on the Community Celebration, contact Ida Spruill, Ph.D., R.N., 792-3873, or email spruilli@musc.edu.

MUSC will recognize National Primary Care Week Jan. 23 – 26. Presentations will be held from noon until 12:50 p.m. in Room 100, Basic Science Building According to the American Medical Student Association, the event highlights the importance of primary care and brings health care professionals together to discuss and learn about generalist and interprofessional health care.

Lunch will be provided to the first 75 students. The seminars are: Jan. 23–“Telemedicine and Rural Health Care: The Present and Vision for the Future;” Jan. 24–“Rural Health Care and the Interprofessional Team: Professional Satisfaction and Financial Incentives;” Jan. 25–“The Roles and Scope of Practice for Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, and Registered Nurses in Rural Settings;” and Jan. 26–“How Oral Health Prevention Can Be Enhanced with Medical/Dental Collaboration.”

Visit http://www.musc.edu/catalyst/ archive/2012/co1-20primary.html for a complete listing.

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Okurase: celebration forges global bonds

Photos courtesy of Anne Thompson, Digital Imaging

Samuel Nkrumah Yeboah - “Powerful” - performs. Pictured far right is Djole, a West African dance/drumming company from North Charleston.

Dr. Ray Greenberg, Ayodele Scott from Sierra Leone, Dr. Cynthia Cupit Swenson, Gerald Bybee and Dr. Mary Sanders from San Francisco, Roberta Sokolitz and Samuel Nkrumah Yeboah from Ghana gather for a group photo.

MUSC hosted a special exhibition of the work in Ghana was the connections images from Ghana, West Africa, as part made and partnerships forged that of its global health strategic initiative. evening and the days that followed,” she More than 200 people attended the said.

Jan. 12 celebration that Cynthia Cupit Project Okurase’s building goals Swenson, Ph.D., associate director of are to complete the vocational school the Family Services Research Center and begin job training programs and (FSRC), described as a vivacious linking to conduct significant work towards of West African and completion of the medical Lowcountry culture center in 2012. Swenson said and an introduction of the plan is to develop an Charlestonians to the exchange program between village of Okurase in Ghana and MUSC in the eastern region of clinical research and health Ghana. care.

The evening began All aspects of Project with a performance Okurase (Opportunity,

by Djole — a youth Knowledge, Understanding, West African dance Renewed Health, Artsand drumming Based, Skills Training and company from North Education) are guided by Charleston. Samuel the people of the village “Powerful” Yeboah and the goal is to develop and Ayodele Scott, his strategies and interventions in The news colleague from Sierra to resolve key issues that are Leone, followed with contributing to significant See the recent Post and a Tamaraneh (coming health problems.

Courier story: together) performance.

Swenson said Okurase is visit http://tinyurl.

MUSC President becoming a teaching village. com/86oe34p Ray Greenberg, M.D., As strategies are learned Ph.D., highlighted the university’s and implemented to overcome its key global strategic initiative and introduced health issues, those strategies will be Yeboah, who updated the group on taught to people in other villages in the building of the vocational school Ghana and beyond by and through the and hopes for a medical center. Gerald people of Okurase. FSRC projects, part Bybee, a renowned photographer of MUSC’s Department of Psychiatry from San Francisco, spoke about his and Behavioral Sciences, reach across the experience in Okurase and development globe and typically involve communityof Okurase: Portrait of a Village. based services and research on a Swenson said the event raised treatment called multisystemic therapy. $630 toward the 2012 Village Health For more information on Project Outreach. Funds will be used primarily Okurase or how to support its mission, to purchase malaria testing kits and anti visit http://www.projectokurase.org/ malaria medications. “But, critical to about_us/.

The Catalyst, January 20, 2012 7

Dr. Marvella Ford, left, accepts the MUSC 2012 MLK Award from Elena Gore, a biostatistics and epidemiology student.

More than 100 students and staff gathered to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a Jan. 17 ceremony at St. Luke’s Chapel.

This student-driven program featured talks from guest speakers, music from multiple gospel choirs and spoken reflection. MUSC students also honored Marvella Ford, Ph.D., a behavioral scientist and cancer epidemiologist with Hollings Cancer Center’s Cancer Disparities Program, with an award for her dedication, service and work with the Lowcountry’s African-American community and her ongoing efforts that embody and exemplify characteristics promoted by King.

This event was sponsored by the Black History Intercollegiate Consortium, which is composed of The Citadel, Trident Technical College, Charleston Southern University and MUSC. At MUSC’s campus, the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Program and Student Essay Contest was held Jan. 12. MUSC students were invited to write a 1,200 word essay reflecting on King’s quote: “All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.” The top three essay winners received a plaque and

Andres Rodriquez won first place in the essay contest. To read the winning essays, visit http://tinyurl. com/6u6nuc9. cash stipend. First place went to P. Andres Rodriguez, College of Medicine; second place, Allyson Dodson, College of Nursing; and third place, Raena Hariharan, College of Medicine.

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8 The CaTalysT, January 20, 2012

repshas Continued from Page One

Changing What’s possible

On Dec. 13 Repshas, 22, an avid runner and soccer player, only remembers slowing down. Then he blacked out.

As Skeele was driving by, she remembers seeing a crowd of people around someone lying in the grass, someone who looked somewhat like her younger brother. Her ‘gut’ told her to stop, and her friend didn’t mind. She assessed the situation and realized he needed CPR. “He was just helpless on the ground and no one was doing anything. His pulse was thready, and he had stopped breathing.”

She dropped down to begin compressions, silently singing the Bee Gees’ tune “Staying Alive” as she had been taught to do in trainings. She laughs. “It has the right rhythm.”

Mentally freaking out, she tried to remain composed.

“It’s totally different from simulation lab,” she said.

Then Bernard, who specializes in heart arrhythmias, drove by after having no luck in getting a gift. He saw someone doing CPR and stopped to help. Though Skeele knew EMS had been called, she said it was such a relief to see him arrive and have a “senior official” there.

Bernard monitored Repshas’ pulse and Skeele continued to do compressions. Help from the Charleston Fire Department and EMS arrived in what seemed an eternity to Skeele, and Bernard briefed the emergency technicians on Repshas’ condition. At the time, Skeele and Bernard thought the patient, who had no identification, would be taken to another hospital.

Skeele said she got in her car and sat for awhile in shock. Later, she tried to find out how he was, but patient privacy laws kept her from being able to get any information on his condition. Frustrated, Skeele accepted she may never know the young man’s fate, but then she saw an email from her nursing college that let her know Bernard was looking for her.

Repshas ended up at MUSC for treatment since he had no identification. Bernard said he noticed a 22-yearold was in ICU who had avoided sudden cardiac death.

Bernard thought who else could that be?

In all the craziness he had forgotten Skeele’s name, but the family wanted to meet her. When Skeele came to visit, the family was in the waiting room. She was introduced and the mom, Chris Bernock, beamed at her saying, “This is the one. Let me give you a big hug.”

Skeele said it was one of the most emotionallycharged moments she’s ever had and she instantly liked Bernock. “His mom was so calm and pulled together. It was fantastic meeting her. I met his sister, too.”

Though Bernard was not directly involved with Repshas’ care, he did end up putting in his implantable cardioverter defibrillator before Repshas was discharged. Repshas has a very rare (1-2 per 1,000,000 people) condition called left ventricle noncompaction cardiomyopathy. Bernard said there are doctors who’ve

Repshas, who is back in school at College of Charleston, took time out of his schedule to meet with local media to thank all the people involved in his miraculous recovery. been at MUSC for three decades who haven’t seen this type of case. It’s an abnormal development of heart muscle where the muscle fibers do not form a compact layer. Instead the muscle fibers are loosely packed in almost a sponge-like manner, which can lead to heart failure, arrhythmias and other heart disorders.

Repshas was treated with a hypothermia protocol where the body core temperature is cooled for 24 hours and then slowly rewarmed to a normal temperature.

During this time, Repshas was sedated in a druginduced coma and carefully monitored in the ICU. Bernard said the procedure has been shown to reduce brain injury after cardiac arrests.

Bernard praised how Skeele handled the situation, encouraging everyone who can learn CPR to do so.

“She provided prompt CPR that probably made the difference in his outcome. Providing early and sustained CPR is one of the most important factors in survival.

“They saved my life. It was a really fortunate series of events that day. It gives you a different outlook in life.”

Justin Repshas

After sudden cardiac death, there is a very narrow window to successfully resuscitate somebody. After only five to 10 minutes, survival approaches zero percent.

The fact that she recognized the situation and acted accordingly saved Justin’s life.”

As for Skeele, she said the event changed her life.

She has found nursing takes her heart and soul. “It takes everything about yourself. I’ve learned a lot about myself and what people have to go through when they’re sick. This experience has changed me. It’s connected me to what I want to do.”

She knows now more than ever that she has chosen the right profession. In school nursing students hear how they will make a difference in patients’ lives, but having it actually happen was inspirational for her, she said.

Repshas, who has returned to school, said the experience has changed him as well. “I feel very, very lucky to come out as strong as I was before. It was very scary.”

He’s very grateful that Skeele and Bernard showed up when they did, and the support he got from emergency personnel, the City of Charleston police and friends who helped to get him identified and MUSC staff.

“Words can’t explain how grateful I am. They saved my life. It was a really fortunate series of events that day.

It gives you a different outlook in life. The small things in life matter more. I couldn’t be happier to be here with my friends and family.”

The CaTalysT, January 20, 2012 9

Nominations being accepted for awards A call for nominations is under way to all faculty and students. The purpose of these awards is to recognize members of the MUSC faculty who have made outstanding contributions to the university through teaching.

Awards may be given from the Clinical/Professional (Educator-Mentor); Scholarship/Academic (EducatorMentor); Educator-Lecturer; and Developing Teacher.

Any regular, full-time faculty member who holds an academic rank

of instructor or higher in a college or department of MUSC, who has not been the recipient of this award within the previous three years is eligible for nomination.

The deadline for nominations is Jan. 27. Nominees will be invited to submit supporting materials, and a committee of faculty and students will select the recipients for this year’s awards.

Forms may be found at http://www. carc.musc.edu/nomination/.

For information, call 792-2228.

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*36-month lease, 10,000 miles per year, and $3,000 total due at lease signing. No security deposit required. Tax, tags, and fee included. All offers expire January 31, 2012. **Safe + Secure Coverage Plan excludes tires.

SERVICE SPECIAL FOR OUR LOYAL VOLVO CUSTOMERS $29.95 OIL CHANGE + COMPLIMENTARY 60 POINT INSPECTION* LIMITED TIME ONLY

C01-682179

The CaTalysT, January 20, 2012 11

CLASSIFIED P AGE • Household Personal Items for MUSC employees are free.

All other classifieds are charged at rate below. Ads considered venture-making ads (puppy breeder, coffee business, home for sale, etc.) will be charged as PAID ADS •• PROOF OF ELIGIBILITY REQUIRED * NO MORE THAN 3 LINES * FREE ADS RUN 2 WEEKS ONLY!

PAID ADS are $3 per line ( 1 line = 35 characters) DEADLINE: TUESDAY – 10:00 AM * CLASSIFIED ADS CAN BE E-MAILED TO sales@moultrienews.com, OR MAILED (134 Columbus St., Charleston SC 29403) Please call 849-1778 with questions. *Must provide Badge No. and Department of Employment for employees and Student I.D. Number for MUSC Students.

IP01-681634

Rental Properties

Studio Apt in historic house on Ashley Ave across from MUSC Approx. 600 sf. New appliances Off-street parking. Utilities provid ed except for cable&phone. Ver quiet. $800/ mo. 864-240-2455 or 864-569-4623.

Misc. Services

Part Time Mothers Helper wanted for 10 month old baby boy. Must have pediatric experience, RN/child life/ teaching experience. Days/Evenings Hours negotiable. $20-25 per hour. Call 843-754-0412

TO ADVERTISE IN THE CATALYST CALL 849-1778 CM02-668088

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION SOCIAL SECURITY CLAIMS PERSONAL INJURY DISCREET HANDLING OF ADULT & JUVENILE CRIMINAL CHARGES

THE LAW OFFICE OF

PETER DAVID BROWN, P.A.

PRACTICING LAW IN CHARLESTON FOR 23 YEARS

IP04-675033

IP04-675034

749 Johnnie Dodds Blvd., Suite A Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 www.peterdavidbrown.com • 843-971-0099

C07-674258

12 The CaTalysT, January 20, 2012