MUSChealth.org/heart | 19 MUSC HEALTH HEART & VASCULAR CENTER thickened muscle obstructs the flow of blood out of the heart during each heartbeat. “Patients with HCM often struggle with shortness of breath, heart palpitations, a racing heartbeat or the scariest symptom – sudden cardiac death,” Dr. Atkins explained. From monitoring and medication management to more advanced options, including surgery, Dr. Atkins and MUSC Health’s experts evaluate each patient’s condition and recommend individualized care. “Dr. Atkins is someone who really cares; you can see it in her eyes,” said Katherine Woodward, 28. “You can hear that care in the questions she asks and the connection she keeps with you before and after treatment.” Woodward, an ER nurse, turned to Dr. Atkins and two others on the MUSC Health team – Dr. David Gregg and nurse practitioner Rochelle Judd – for help navigating her high-risk pregnancy with HCM, a form of heart failure she found out she had three years ago. Dr. Atkins, Dr. Gregg and Judd helped Woodward create a Plan A for a delivery without complications and a Plan B for a delivery that might be far from smooth. Plan B, which required an emergency cesarean section, was the plan they employed. “MUSC was nothing short of amazing,” Woodward said. “I’m not the best patient; I have so much anxiety about everything. Dr. Atkins came to see me each day after her clinic rounds; Dr. Gregg came to see me twice daily, sometimes in the middle of the night and on his entire weekend off. Rochelle was alongside each doctor. It was refreshing to feel so cared for during such a trying time.” “That is been best part of joining the faculty here,” said Dr. Atkins. “At MUSC Health, heart failure patients have the unique advantage of multifaceted care and intervention because we know each other and each person’s expertise so well.” Today, Woodward is a proud mother of a baby girl and “doing better than I was before pregnancy,” she said. The coveted Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiology Transplantation Fellowship Program provided Dr. Atkins and generations of other bright participants a space for discoveries. As the doctors who lead the program hope, Dr. Atkins and others are now sparking change for their patients. MUSC Health’s Heart & Vascular Center is the only program in South Carolina that offers heart transplantation, robotic valve surgery and complex aorta surgeries. The Center has the state’s only cardiovascular genetics program, providing personalized care for those with inherited heart and vascular conditions. In addition to standard options such as medication management, we also offer these specialized programs: Heart transplants; Mechanical circulatory support (VADs); Shock and cardiac emergency care; Heart valve procedures; Cardio-oncology; Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; Sarcoidosis; Telehealth, including CardioMEMS™; Cardiovascular genetics. “ Dr. Atkins is definitely at the top of all the doctors I’ve seen. She is amazingly empathetic, very patient and kind. She answers all questions and is genuinely happy when there is good news and sad when it’s not. – Florence resident Mitzi Moore, 65 ” Dr. Atkins left with Dr. Ryan Tedford right To schedule an appointment, call 843-792-1952
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