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ARCHBOLD.ORG •
WINTER 2014
7
New clinical trial
at Archbold
Teresa Coleman, MD,
Medical Oncologist
Lewis Hall Singletary Oncology Center
despite the use of standard chemotherapy.
Archbold is one of only three sites in the
state of Georgia hosting the trial.
“This new drug could potentially mean
great things for patients who otherwise
would have no other options,” says
Teresa Coleman, MD, medical and clinical
trials director at the center.
Who can participate?
Trial participants do not have to be current
patients of the Singletary Oncology Center.
If a patient’s physician thinks he or she is
a good candidate, the physician can refer
the patient to the center.
“One of our main goals is to let the
public know that these options are
available to them,” Dr. Coleman says.
Dr. Coleman and her colleagues share
a passion about clinical trial impact on
patient care. “These studies potentially
help thousands of patients worldwide,”
Dr. Coleman says. “Archbold’s clinical
trials program allows patients to
have access to the latest medical
advancements without having to leave
Thomasville.”
CLINICAL TRIALS
test procedures
or medications in volunteer patients. Until
recently, these studies were mostly limited
to large acute care medical centers and
teaching hospitals.
Archbold Memorial Hospital’s
Loudermilk Heart and Vascular Center has
participated in numerous clinical trials
since 2005, and the Lewis Hall Singletary
Oncology Center introduced their clinical
trial program in 1990.
New cancer treatments
The Singletary Oncology Center currently
participates in several trials that deal with
a variety of cancers, including breast and
colon cancers and lymphomas. Most
recently, the center became part of a trial
that is testing a drug that stimulates the
patient’s immune system to attack non-
small cell lung cancer. The drug is given
to patients whose cancer has progressed
IN AUGUST,
Archbold Memorial
Hospital became one of the first hospi-
tals in Georgia to implant Medtronic’s
new insertable cardiac monitor (ICM)
system in a patient.
“This technology is used for patients
who experience symptoms that suggest
a cardiac arrhythmia and for patients
at increased risk for complications from
cardiac arrhythmias,” says cardiologist
Bob Miles, MD.
While significantly smaller than its
predecessor, the device allows physi-
cians to continuously and wirelessly
monitor a patient’s heart for up to
three years, with 20 percent more data
memory.
The ICM works with global cellular
technology and transmits patients’ diag-
nostic data to their clinicians from nearly
any location in the world.
The ICM can be placed easily, in an
outpatient procedure, just beneath
the skin and is often nearly invisible
once inserted.
“In addition to its small size and ad-
vanced monitoring capabilities, another
advantage of the technology is that
patients with this new and improved
device can undergo magnetic reso-
nance imaging (MRI) if needed, which
wasn’t the case with former versions of
the technology,” says Dr. Miles. “We’re
excited to have this state-of-the-art
technology available to serve patients in
our area.”
We keep a close watch on your heart
ARCHBOLD MEMOR I AL HOSP I TAL IMPL ANT S SMAL L E S T CARD I AC MON I TOR OF I T S K I ND
“Every study completed
gives us knowledge we
didn’t have before.”
—Teresa Coleman, MD
Bob Miles, MD,
Cardiologist
Cardiology Consultants of South Georgia