Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/70907
Putting Her Foot Down One August evening last year, 49-year-old Susan Flatt of Spotswood stepped down on her right foot and felt an unusual pressure. Thinking her ankle might be broken, she called a friend, who rushed her to the nearest hospital. When Susan arrived, medical specialists diagnosed her with an ulceration of the inner foot, a foot deformity, and osteomyelitis—a bacterial infection of the bone. “After six days in the hospital, the medical staff recommended amputation of my right leg,” Susan says. “That was an option I refused to accept.” The Second Opinion Susan left the hospital, seeking the advice of Gerald Mauriello Jr., DPM, podiatrist and podiatric surgeon with Advanced Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute and on the medical staff at CentraState Medical Center. He had provided Susan podiatry care years ago, and this time he promised to do everything possible to save her leg. In November 2011, Dr. Mauriello, with the assistance of Ramanasri Kudipudi, MD, infectious disease specialist on the medical staff at CentraState, and a multidisciplinary medical team, performed an Ilizarov reconstruction— a limb-lengthening procedure to treat bone deformities—paired with a liquid fusion to re-form Susan’s foot while managing the infection. Before the procedures, she visited the Central Jersey Wound Treatment Center at CentraState Medical Center for hyperbaric therapy and wore a halo orthopedic device for six weeks to stabilize her foot while the abscess healed. Taking Steps Forward Following comprehensive rehabilitation, Susan says she owes her health to the compassionate, supportive services she received at CentraState, along with the support of family and friends. Today, she looks forward to gardening, photography, and travel—activities she wasn’t able to enjoy for several months. “I firmly believe if I hadn’t made the decision to go to CentraState, I would have lost my right leg,” Susan says. “As a patient, you need someone to advocate for you and believe in you. I know I can call Dr. Mauriello anytime and wouldn’t trust anyone else with my foot.” For more information about podiatry at CentraState, call (866) CENTRA7 (866-236-8727) or visit www.centrastate.com/podiatry. To learn more about surgical services, visit www.centrastate.com/surgery. HD Precise Podiatry Care The foot is one of the most complex parts of the human body, requiring precise medical techniques. Board- certified podiatrists at CentraState Medical Center are highly skilled at providing comprehensive and state- of-the-art surgical, reconstructive, and rehabilitative care to treat this delicate area. "Our capabilities span from traditional podiatry to complex reconstruction, implantation, and trauma care of the lower extremity," says Gerald Mauriello Jr., DPM, podiatrist and podiatric surgeon with Advanced Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute and on the medical staff at CentraState. "The podiatry services we provide run the gamut in available treatment options that only a few facilities can offer."