Atlantic OB-GYN
Delivers advanced care in a warm setting
By Alison Johnson
From routine pelvic exams to advanced robotic-assisted hysterectomies and fibroid removals, the team at Atlantic OB-GYN keeps two words in mind: expertise and compassion.
Practice founder Timothy Hardy, MD, F.A.C.O.G., and his partner Craig Ruetzel, MD, F.A.C.O.G., along with Melissa Waddell, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, are dedicated to delivering warm, comprehensive, cost-effective and results-oriented care that recognizes women’s busy lives.
“We never want our patients to come in here and feel small,” Dr. Hardy says. “Each one of them deserves to feel well-cared for and well-informed, whether it’s getting them into an appointment on time or allowing them to recover quickly from what used to be invasive and risky surgeries.”
With offices in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, Atlantic OB-GYN offers complete gynecological and obstetrical care along with inpatient and outpatient surgeries and treatments for infertility, endometriosis, female infections and sexual dysfunction.
Dr. Hardy, who founded the practice in 1990, is a leader in the region for robotic surgery. The medical team also is skilled in the field of urogynecology, which covers common pelvic floor disorders such as urinary or fecal incontinence, abnormal vaginal bleeding and prolapsed organs.
Available in-office procedures include bone density scans, breast biopsy with ultrasound guidance and insertion of intrauterine devices or vaginal contraception rings. Atlantic OB-GYN offers a full range of infertility services including evaluation and treatment including surgery. Tuboplasty, which is a surgery to repair damaged fallopian tubes, and tubal reanastomosis or tubal reversal surgery are a few of the surgical interventions that can help an infertile woman achieve pregnancy. Dr. Hardy has had up to an 80% success rate with tubal reversals. Atlantic OB-GYN also prescribes regular and emergency birth control pills.
The Benefits of Robotic Surgery
The use of computer-guided instruments has helped transform two common operations for women, hysterectomy and myomectomy, or removal of uterine fibroids that cause pain, bleeding and possible infertility. Atlantic OB-GYN began offering robotic surgery options to their patients six years ago when the technology first came to the Hampton Roads area. Dr. Hardy has completed several training courses with the da Vinci surgical system including most recently the advance course. In fact Dr. Hardy was the first gynecologist in Virginia to operate on the da Vinci XI robotic system, which was recently acquired at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center.
Removing the uterus and cervix once required a major abdominal incision – as big or bigger than the one made during a Caesarian section – and six to eight weeks of recovery. With robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy, surgeons can control a thin, lighted scope and other instruments through four or five tiny incisions, less than an inch apiece. They work from a computer station in the operating room.
The robot’s steady, precise movements and a magnified three-dimensional view allow surgeons to maneuver easily within the abdominal cavity. Women are generally able to resume normal activities within two to three weeks, and there is a lower risk of post-operative pain and infection. For patients who don’t qualify for vaginal hysterectomy, the robot is still an option.
“It is rare for me to do open surgery today,” Dr. Hardy notes. “It has made a tremendous difference for women, especially if they need to get back to their jobs or families as quickly as possible. This once was a surgery that women were thankful just to survive, so things have certainly changed for the better.”
About 75 percent of fibroid surgeries at Atlantic OB-GYN are performed laparoscopically with robotic assistance. Surgeons generally limit open abdominal operations to women with very large fibroids or more than 10 to 15 of the noncancerous growths. The robot allows for multi-layer stitching of the uterus rather than a single-layer closure, lowering the risk of rupture during any subsequent pregnancy. Finally, robotic surgery can help women with extensive endometriosis and pelvic pain.
Compassionate Care
Technology is just one side of the practice, however. Since obstetricians guide women through emotional and physical changes of pregnancy and gynecologists handle what many women consider embarrassing health concerns, building trust with patients is crucial.
One example is urinary incontinence, an issue that affects up to 10% of young women and up to 75% of women in nursing homes and especially those who have suffered – often unknowingly – muscle or nerve damage during pregnancy and childbirth. As with fecal incontinence, age, weight gain and smoking also are risk factors. The problem can range from an occasional leakage of urine to a complete loss of bladder control, leading to emotional distress, embarrassment and skin irritation with pain, itching and potentially sores.
“Often, women are told that this is just part of getting old and there’s nothing they can do,” Dr. Hardy says. “That’s just not true. We can help patients who have urinary and fecal incontinence.”
The range of potential therapies includes dietary changes, exercises to restore muscle strength, an implanted device that stimulates the sacral nerves and surgery to restore proper position of the bladder. “What women need to know is these are treatable conditions,” Dr. Hardy says. “They don’t need to suffer in silence for years and years.”
Atlantic OB-GYN works hard to create a friendly atmosphere throughout a patient’s experience. That starts with having a real person on the line when patients call – not a recorded message – and a kind and respectful office staff.
“We stay on time whenever possible, because we know long waits are stressful for patients,” Dr. Hardy says. The practice also offers evening hours once a week for patients who can’t take time off work, he adds: “We always want to mindful of their time.”
An Experienced Team
Atlantic OB-GYN’s team is highly trained in their specialties. Dr. Hardy completed a residency in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Providence Hospital, an affiliate of Georgetown Medical Center, and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School. He also completed an internship at Jersey Medical Center in Jersey City, NJ.
Dr. Ruetzel has practiced in Hampton Roads since 1992 and partnered with Dr. Hardy about two years ago. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Duke University and a medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science, followed by a residency at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
Melissa Waddell, WHNP is a women’s health nurse practitioner who has been with Atlantic OB-GYN for more than a decade. Ms. Waddell holds several degrees: a bachelor’s in biology from Virginia Tech, a certificate in Microbiology/Immunology from Virginia Commonwealth University and bachelor and master degrees in nursing from VCU. Before joining Atlantic OB-GYN, she worked as a registered nurse in the mother/infant unit at VCU Health Systems and served as a clinical instructor-adjunct faculty member in VCU’s School of Nursing.
While Dr. Hardy hopes to grow Atlantic OB-GYN’s services, particularly in urogynecology, he also plans to keep the practice small. “The personal touch,” he says, “is extremely important to us.”
3720 Holland Rd., Suite 101,Virginia Beach, VA 23452
Phone: 757-463-1234 • Fax: 757-340-0717
680 C-Kingsborough Sq., Chesapeake, VA 23320
Phone: 757-548-0044 • Fax: 757-547-0179
