Pulse

Summer 2015

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1 2 | PULSE S u m m e r 2 0 1 5 G olf tends to be the sport most people think of doctors playing. But for a group of physicians, soccer is their game. In fact, they're so dedicated to the sport they've formed the United States Medical Soccer Team (USMST). Although the USMST was primarily made of physicians from Southern California when it was created in 2009, as word spread, doctors from all across the country have joined. "We're up to 30 members now, ranging from their 30s to their 50s. We had tryouts in February, and nine more physicians joined—so we're truly a national team now," explains Brett Lorber, MD, an emergency medicine physician at Torrance Memorial Medical Center. "ree times a year we fly in for a weekend of practice and then play a local team." Soccer may seem like a dangerous game for physicians to play, but Lorber reports the fun and camaraderie of the game outweighs the risks. "All sports have potential for injury," says the 40-year-old San Diego native who is the team's le fullback. "It's a question of how much fun are you having, what is it worth to you to have that fun and what are the chances of injury." In late June and early July the USMST hosted the 2015 World Medical Football Championships in Long Beach, a tournament that saw 20 teams from 19 different countries coming to play a week's worth of games for the World Cup. While the Czech Republic won the Cup, the American doctors came in 3rd place out of 18 teams, defeating the Ukraine on July 4. Playing on the USMST, which Torrance Memorial sponsors, also allows the doctors to be good role models for their patients. "One of the unspoken truths is that physicians talk the talk but don't necessarily walk the walk," says Lorber. "is is about setting a good example for the whole country by actually going out and doing something with your body, exercising and feeling good about yourself." For more information about The United States Medical Soccer Team, visit usmedicalsoccer team.org. WRITTEN BY JAMES F. MILLS KICKIN IT, MD STYLE THE UNITED STATES MEDICAL SOCCER TEAM (USMST) BRINGS TOGETHER MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM ACROSS THE U.S. WHO SHARE A PASSION FOR SOCCER. T orrance Memorial is the first hospital in the South Bay to use a newly FDA-approved blood pump that helps patients maintain stable heart function during high-risk cardiac procedures. In April, the manufacturer of the pump, Abiomed, brought its Mobile Learning Lab, which spans 20 parking spots, to the hospital. Inside the lab, Torrance Memorial staff received hands-on training on the Impella 5 System, which is intended for temporary use to help patients maintain stable heart function and circulation during certain high-risk, coronary intervention procedures such as balloon angioplasty and stenting, which reopen coronary arteries that are narrowed or blocked. e Impella heart pump helps reduce the workload of the heart so patients who have had either a massive heart attack or have very weak overall heart function can maintain sufficient blood supply to the heart during such high-risk procedures. e hands-on training enabled cardiologists, nurses and cath lab staff to learn critical information about the Impella system. LEARNING EXPRESS A MOBILE LAB VISITS TORRANCE MEMORIAL TO PROVIDE TRAINING ON THE WORLD'S SMALLEST HEART PUMP. Ray M. Wyman, MD, interventional cardiologist, demonstrates the world's smallest heart pump. H E A LT H L I N KS

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