Beaufort Memorial Hospital | Affiliated with Duke University Health System in heart and cancer

Vascular Health Services

What is vascular disease?
Vascular disease includes coronary artery disease (angina, heart attack, bypass surgery, valve replacement), peripheral vascular disease, including blockages of arteries in the leg and neck, and stroke. Because diabetes is interrelated with various vascular complications, it is considered to be in the same category as vascular diseases.

Treating vascular disease in our community
With the arrival of BMH vascular surgeon J. Chadwick Tober, MD in 2004, BMH has an exceptional team of specialists who are interested in vascular health.  Primary care doctors are on the “front line” looking for indications that a patient may have vascular problems.  And, many times, the primary care physicians will manage the patient’s condition.  But, now they have access to a vascular specialist when more help is needed.

Vascular disease (heart attack and stroke) is South Carolina’s leading cause of death for men and women among all ethnic and racial groups, according to a report issued recently by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.  And, South Carolina ranks third in the nation in the rate of overall cardiovascular disease, and first in deaths due to stroke.

These numbers hold true for the Beaufort community, as well.  Heart disease and stroke are one the top reasons for admissions to BMH.  Since arriving at Beaufort Memorial Hospital in June 2003, director of BMH’s Vascular Health Program Mark Senn, Ph.D. has assessed the overwhelming job of lowering the incidence of vascular disease in our area, taking it one piece at a time.

“The vision of BMH’s Vascular Health Program is to reduce the prevalence and impact of vascular disease in our community,” says Senn.

The BMH Vascular Health Program is funded primarily through the BMH Foundation and The Duke Endowment.