new treatment for heart patients
Cardiologists at Southeast Georgia Health System recently began offering a new treatment option for patients with severely calcified coronary artery disease. The innovative technology is a novel application of lithotripsy, an approach that uses sonic pressure waves, also known as shockwave energy.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year — more than 600,000 of those deaths are in the United States. As people with heart disease, specifically coronary artery disease, grow older and their disease progresses, plaque in the arteries evolves into calcium deposits, which can narrow the artery. Physicians often use stents to open an artery, and of the approximately one million patients that undergo a stent procedure each year, 30% have problematic calcium that increases their risk for adverse events. For more information, visit sghs.org.
Local pediatrician named president of state board
Dr. Angela Highbaugh-Battle, FAAP, was appointed president of the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (GAAAP). Highbaugh-Battle is a board-certified pediatrician with Southeast Georgia Physician Associates-Pediatrics in St. Marys.
As president of GAAAP, Highbaugh-Battle represents more than 1,800 pediatricians across the state and has the opportunity to interact directly with state agencies charged with providing health care services to children. She will also seek strategic partnerships to advance the health of children and promote excellence in pediatric care.
Highbaugh-Battle earned her medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta and completed her residency at Emory University in Atlanta.
In her free time, Highbaugh-Battle enjoys spending time with her husband and children at local festivals and adding to their family coin collection.
To schedule an appointment with Highbaugh-Battle, call 912-673-8000 or learn more by visiting sghs.org/peds.