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Just over a year ago, St. Luke’s launched a new cardiology practice to Polk County and the surrounding region. The program has grown exponentially and matured to a world-class status much quicker than a typical first-year program, mainly due to Dr. Kemp and his team at St. Luke’s Cardiology at Foothills Medical Associates. 

Our program provides medical cardiology visits at Foothills Medical Associates, St. Luke’s Hospital, and cardiology admissions with on-call coverage. The practice offers cardiac stress testing, echocardiograms, TEE (trans-esophageal echo), cardioversions, and CT angiography. It has been an incredible first year. 

But today, we celebrate the expansion of this program!

Dr. Evans Kemp, Medical Director of Cardiology, has welcomed partner John Hutto, MD. Dr. Hutto is a five-star general invasive cardiologist in Orangeburg, SC, is board certified, and a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. He diagnoses and treats conditions like arrhythmia, atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation, carotid stenosis, coronary heart disease, endocarditis, heart attack, heart disease, heart failure, myocarditis, pericarditis, postural orthostatic tachycardia, pulmonary embolism, and more. 

In his Orangeburg practice, Dr. Hutto performs a full spectrum of nuclear medicine cardiac testing, ablations, cardiac catheterizations, angioplasty, stenting, resynchronization therapy, and implanting of cardiac devices, including pacemakers, defibrillators, and loop recorders.

With Dr. Hutto on board, St. Luke’s has launched a device clinic where local patients can have their implants monitored and serviced without the need to travel to distant clinics. The St. Luke’s Device Clinic provides care for heart rhythm disorders where Dr. Hutto follows up with the patient’s pacemaker, implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or biventricular device. He performs a comprehensive device function evaluation and diagnostic review to ensure the device is programmed to provide optimum functionality. 

Routine maintenance is crucial for detecting potential complications. 

Pacemakers require routine programmer checks every three to six months, and defibrillators require follow-up every three or four months. Implantable loop recorders require follow-up every three months or as symptoms warrant. To ensure your implantable is always functioning correctly, we offer secure web-based “remote analysis” from your home, workplace, and even out-of-state.

Dr. Hutto has been a part-time resident of Polk County for more than fifteen years, and we are delighted he has joined our cardiology program. Please join me as we welcome Dr. John Hutto to St Luke’s as we continue to unleash world-class to Polk County and the Western Carolinas.

To learn more about Dr. Hutto, Dr. Kemp, and our cardiology practice, visit StLukesNC.org/heart.

If you have a healthcare topic of interest or want to learn more about St. Luke’s Hospital, send me a note at Michelle.Fortune@slhnc.org. Also, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or visit our website at StLukesNC.org.