September 10, 2009
SEE ‘KEYHOLE’ KNEE REPAIR SURGERY ON LIVE WEBCAST SEPT. 16: If you've got internet access, you've got a front-row seat to minimally invasive ACL (knee ligament) repair by renowned orthopedic surgeon Harlan Selesnick, M.D., from the Center for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at Doctors Hospital. Just tune in to live webcast in English and Spanish at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16 by going to www.baptisthealth.net. Dr. Selesnick will demonstrate the kind of advanced, arthroscopic techniques that have allowed him to help top athletes recover quickly from their injuries and return to their sport, and which have made him the choice for team physician by the Miami Heat, and Miami Dade College, among others. Orthopedic surgeon Richard Levitt, M.D., will moderate and answer questions during the procedure, which will be simultaneously translated in Spanish. For more information about the Webcast, please contact Elsa Figueredo elsaf@baptisthealth.net 786-308-3410.
BACKGROUND AND CONTACT: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury occurs when the knee is severely twisted or hyper-extended, often during sports like basketball and soccer. It results in pain and the knee unexpectedly “giving out.” ACL tears are particularly prevalent among female athletes, though the reasons are not completely understood. The good news is that today, minimally invasive arthroscopic or “keyhole” surgery can make ACL repair less painful and traumatic than ever before. In arthroscopic surgery, a general, local or spinal anesthetic is administered. A small incision is made in the skin of the knee. An arthroscope is inserted through the incision. Other incisions are then made to introduce small grasping, probing, or cutting tools. The surgeon is able to operate with such small tools through surgical “keyholes” thanks to images captured by a small fiber optic light and camera at the end of the arthroscope.
January 13, 2009
FINDING CANCER WHEREVER IT LURKS: BAPTIST HOSPITAL GETS TOP CANCER SCANNER IN THE WORLD - The world’s most advanced, new General Electric PET/CT scanner, now in operation at Baptist Hospital, is throwing new light into all the dark corners of the body where lethal cancer can lurk. Only a few such state-of-the art machines have been installed anywhere in the world, putting Baptist Hospital right on the cutting edge of high-tech cancer diagnostics.
BACKGROUND AND CONTACT: Baptist’s new, so-called “Time of Flight” PET/CT more rapidly and precisely detects the gamma rays cancer cells emit after absorbing a radioactive tracer drug injected into the body. That makes it possible for physicians to detect smaller tumors with higher resolution in harder-to-see places. And, there’s more: when very high-speed CT is applied to PET’s gamma ray detection results, physicians get startlingly clear, detailed 3-D images showing exactly how the cancer fits anatomically into its “hiding place.” Such anatomic detail makes it easier for physicians to assess the functional impact of the cancer on vital organs and determine whether a tumor can be surgically removed or treated with radiation or chemotherapy. To find out how Baptist Hospital’s world-class PET/CT is reducing scan times for patients, improving scanning accuracy and helping physicians better assess how to treat both new and existing cancers, please contact Phyllis Teitelbaum phyllist@baptisthealth.net 786-596-5671.
December 9, 2008
1. 'TIS THE SEASON FOR HOLIDAY HEALTH STORIES: The holidays carry special risks for personal health, from binge-drinking “holiday heart syndrome” to depression, addiction relapse and toxic mistletoe—oh my! Don’t let a major health scare be the Grinch that steals the fun from your family’s festivities.
- A. Holiday Horror Stories from the ER: Not everyone knows mistletoe, poinsettias and toys are not meant to be eaten, that candle flames burn, light sockets shock and spiked drinks are best left to the grown-ups. Please call Barbara Moore or Bethany Rundell For holiday horror stories from the ER and tips on how to protect kids and pets from the beautiful, but dangerous allure of many seasonal items, please contact Barbara Moore barbaram@baptisthealth.net 786-596-6638, Tanya Walton tanyaw@baptisthealth.net 786-243-8664 or Bethany Rundell bethanyr@baptisthealth.net 786-662-5015.
- B. Don’t Drink Your Way to Holiday Heart Syndrome: A day or weekend of holiday binge drinking can lead to temporary, scary heart arrhythmias even in otherwise healthy people without heart disease. The most common holiday heart arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, is associated with stroke when it’s a long-term condition, and those with existing heart disease and stroke risks are cautioned not to drink. For more information, please contact Anne Smith asmith@baptisthealth.net 786-596-6534 or Bethany Rundell bethanyr@baptisthealth.net 786-662-5015.
- C. When the Economy Isn’t Jolly: Experts at the Behavioral and Collaborative Medicine Program at South Miami Hospital can provide tips on how individuals and families can survive the holidays intact during this down economy. Unfortunately, holiday stress this year goes way beyond rushed schedules and stressful family gatherings. Please contact Bethany Rundell bethanyr@baptisthealth.net 786-662-5015.
- D. Viruses, Those Unwanted Holiday Guests: Every party—even holiday travel --puts us at heightened risk for colds and flu. How do you tell the difference between a cold and flu and what treatment works best for each? Also, what are the best methods for avoiding infection at work and school, during shopping, parties, and air travel? Please contact Barbara Moore barbaram@baptisthealth.net 786-596-6638.
- E. Minimizing Holiday Weight Gain: You’ve been chowing down at office and neighborhood parties for weeks, with your main family holiday events still to come. Is there still time to put on the brakes? And, are there any new weight control tools available this year? Please contact Barbara Moore barbaram@baptisthealth.net 786-596-6638.
- F. Fighting the Holiday Blues: It's hard for the holidays to measure up to all we expect from them, especially if there are addictions, a recent death, job loss or divorce, or entrenched family problems. Then there’s SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), which hits people hard during the holiday season due to the change of season and decrease in sunlight. How can you beat back insomnia, depression, or relapse into substance abuse during this special time of year? Please contact Barbara Moore barbaram@baptisthealth.net 786-596-6638 or Bethany Rundell bethanyr@baptisthealth.net 786-662-5015.
2. SMILES, NOT TEARS AT FIRST DIAGNOSTIC CENTER JUST FOR KIDS: The new Baptist Medical Plaza at Country Walk includes Baptist Health’s first specially-designed Children’s Diagnostic Center. Kids get to “Chooz A Room” with a special multi-media experience. Then, they go on a multi-media plane ride, African safari, or even a journey beneath the sea while going through an MRI or CT scan. Kids may even forget their own “ouch” when giving a play CT to their beloved doll or stuffed toy. For interviews and visuals, please contact Vanessa Lopez vanessalo@baptisthealth.net 786-596-3404.
November 24, 2008
BOCA GRANDMOTHER GIVES THANKS FOR HEART-SAVING SURGERY WITHOUT A SCAR: Nancy, an 84-year-old Boca Raton grandmother, is celebrating from the heart this Thanksgiving—a heart that doctors at Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute in Miami were able to repair with an experimental procedure performed for the first time in Florida. In what Nancy calls “a miracle,” Institute doctors using catheters repaired a leaky heart valve without making even the tiniest hole in Nancy’s chest. The only incision required was a small opening in the groin to insert the catheter. Nancy’s total hospital stay was three days.
BACKGROUND AND CONTACT: After living with mitral valve disease for more than 10 years, Nancy, a retired hairdresser, could no longer talk on the phone with her grandchildren or walk from one room to another without seriously taxing her failing heart. An enthusiastic Italian cook who loved to put on big family dinners, Nancy says she no longer could even “stoop to get a pan out of the closet” and could no longer enjoy company. Yet, like most patients with leaky mitral valves, Nancy delayed undergoing traditional valve surgery that would involve cutting her chest open and sawing through her breast bone. Only about 20 percent of an estimated four million U.S. mitral valve disease patients receive surgery, leaving the vast majority with increasing heart muscle strain and a high risk of heart failure and sudden death. Fortunately for Nancy, Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute recently became the only center in Florida offering an experimental, minimally invasive procedure to clip the leaky valve. Immediately after she came home from the hospital, Nancy’s husband noticed she was breathing much easier, one important sign that her heart was no longer failing. Only a few weeks after her procedure, Nancy cooked her first, big Italian meal in years. Now she’s looking forward to a Thanksgiving of renewed health and hope. To interview Nancy and her interventional cardiologist, please contact Anne Smith asmith@baptisthealth.net 786-596-6534.
November 11, 2008
1. DRUG FOR HIGH CHOLESTEROL PREVENTS TWICE AS MANY HEART ATTACKS IN PEOPLE WITH NORMAL CHOLESTEROL: Ground-breaking research is stunning cardiologists at the American Heart Association annual meeting this week. In this landmark, 17,800-patient study, a statin drug for high cholesterol was about twice as effective at preventing heart attacks and deaths in people with normal cholesterol as it is in people with high cholesterol who the only ones currently taking the drug. Although the study population had normal cholesterol and no evidence of serious heart disease, they did have high-sensitive CRP, a marker of inflammation in the body. It’s estimated that six to 10 million Americans with cholesterol too low to call for treatment under current guidelines also fall into this high CRP category. To speak to a cardiologist about what this research means for you--including whether CRP testing should play a greater role in heart disease diagnosis and treatment--please contact Martha Martin martham@baptisthealth.net 786-662-4186 or Anne Smith asmith@baptisthealth.net 786-596-6534.
2. BAPTIST HEALTH IN NATIONAL SEARCH FOR PERSONALIZED CANCER THERAPIES: Baptist Health has become the first and only local partner with Tampa-based Moffitt Cancer Center in research that may one day lead to more effective, individualized cancer therapies. Oncologists have long known that while a targeted drug like Herceptin may work for one breast cancer patient, it is not helpful, but even harmful, in a different patient. That’s because each patient’s tumor has its own, unique genetic make-up. To help drug companies develop new therapies targeted to specific tumor “fingerprints,” Baptist Health will participate with Moffitt in a national program to profile and database the genetic marker information for tens of thousands of individual patients’ tumors. For more information about how this will help cancer patients here and around the world, please contact Phyllis Teitelbaum phyllist@baptisthealth.net 786-596-5671.
September 23, 2008
1. FOUR-ARMED ROBOT HELPS SURGEON GET ALL THE CANCER: On October 15, Ricardo Estape, M.D., one of the top ten robotic gynecologic surgeons in the country, will perform a “keyhole” robotic hysterectomy Webcast live from SouthMiamiHospital. Those who log on at www.baptisthealth.net will see and hear how one surgeon can use four robotic arms to remove a cancerous uterus so precisely that the patient may not have to undergo radiation or chemotherapy.
BACKGROUND AND CONTACT: Taking just the right amount of tissue to get all the cancer is the holy grail of tumor removal. Doing this from inside the body, through just four tiny “keyholes,” requires surgeons to be able to see and steer their instruments in different ways than working through a wide-open incision. For example, they must navigate in the same tight spaces as delicate nerves and blood vessels without disturbing them. Now the computer-controlled Da Vinci robot can provide the superior imaging and dexterity that laparoscopic surgeons need. For more information about Da Vinci robotic hysterectomy and its advantages over open surgery and traditional laparoscopic surgery for cancer, please contact Martha Martin martham@baptisthealth.net 786-662-4186.
2. BAPTIST-SOUTH MIAMI SCORES 100 PERCENT ON NATIONAL COLON CANCER STANDARD: A recent report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that only 38% of U.S. hospitals examine at least 12 lymph nodes from their colon cancer surgery patients. However, thanks to a two-year quality initiative, the Baptist-South Miami Regional Cancer Program broke through the ceiling and achieved 100 percent compliance with this major national quality benchmark.
BACKGROUND AND CONTACT: Cancer spreads first to the lymph system, making the number of nodes examined and found to have cancer a critical part of a patient’s disease “staging” or diagnosis, which, in turn, determines treatment. Now patients who have colon cancer surgery at either Baptist or SouthMiamiHospital can be reassured that pathologists are taking extra measures to find and examine every single lymph node in their surgical tissue specimen. Surgeons, likewise, are receiving reports based on pathologists’ findings so they know how consistently they are hitting the 12-node goal. Collecting and sharing performance data--day in and day out, for every patient-- helps keep “all eyes on the ball.” And that’s precisely what’s necessary to make high quality health care the rule, not the exception. For more information and interviews, please call Phyllis Teitelbaum phyllist@baptisthealth.net 786-596-5671.
September 15, 2008
A blood clot in the leg - called a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) - proves deadly for an estimated 100,000 Americans each year. That's why the government announced today a new campaign to get both patients and doctors to recognize the emergency in time. "It's a silent killer. It's hard to diagnose," acting Surgeon General Dr. Steven Galson said in announcing the national campaign. "I don't think most people understand that this is a serious medical problem or what can be done to prevent it."
To find out how hospitals compare on the treatment of DVT, go to hospitalcompare.hhs.gov. To find out more about DVT, what hospitals such as Baptist Hospital are doing about it, and to talk with a physician and/or patient, contact Anne Smith at Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute, 786-596-6534.
September 9, 2008
1. FIREFIGHTER GETS HIS HEART ‘PATCHED’ WITHOUT SURGERY: A Miami firefighter at high risk of stroke is one of about 20 Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute patients who’ve had small patches placed in their hearts without surgery. Inserted into the heart via catheter, the patches are used to seal off a small sac called the left atrial appendage, where blood clots can form due to an irregular heart rhythm. The patch keeps any clots from leaving the heart and circulating to the brain, where they could cause a major stroke. Without this fix for his heart, the firefighter either would have had to run the daily risk of a stroke, or he would have had to take a powerful blood-thinner called Coumadin. That would have meant never working as a firefighter again, due to Coumadin’s severe bleeding and bruising risks. Now, without major heart surgery or even a scar on his chest, the man has the durable stroke protection he needs, and he’s back doing the work he loves. To speak to the patient and to discuss this high-tech heart-patching procedure, please contact Anne Smith asmith@baptisthealth.net 786-596-6534.
2. SIMPLE TESTS FOR DANGEROUS VESSEL PROBLEMS OUTSIDE THE HEART: Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute and South Miami Heart Center are offering a battery of three non-invasive tests to diagnose often silent but life-threatening problems in arteries outside the heart. Everybody knows about heart disease. But more than eight million men and women--one in 20 adults--have blockages in their leg arteries that are closely linked to dangerous strokes and heart attacks. And, every year, 15,000 Americans, mostly men over 55, die from burst abdominal aortic aneurysms. For $99, Baptist and South Miami are offering the following tests at one time, in one place, for patient convenience: carotid ultrasound for neck artery blockages that could lead to stroke, abdominal ultrasound to detect any dangerous ballooning in the main abdominal artery, and a simple comparison of wrist and ankle blood pressure to check for leg blockages. For more information, please contact Anne Smith asmith@baptisthealth.net 786-596-6534 or Martha Martin martham@baptisthealth.net 786-662-4186.
August 26, 2008
FIVE TIPS FOR FAMILIES FIGHTING BACK-TO-SCHOOL ‘AFFLUENZA’ : Going back to school doesn’t just put kids back in touch with friends. It also seriously ratchets up “me too” pressures on parents to buy high-tech gadgets and fashions that kids argue everybody else has. School peer group pressure and media influences have created a syndrome called “Affluenza,” in which uncontrolled materialism disrupts the emotional and spiritual balance of family life. Baptist Children’s Hospital psychologist Gary Lancelotta, Ph.D. can offer parents five tips on how to keep our age of excess from intruding on family values, and how to protect the family budget from “Affluenza,” as well. To speak to Dr. Lancelotta and a mother of five about how she “keeps it real” by nurturing a connection between hard work and financial rewards, please contact Barbara Moore barbaram@baptisthealth.net 786-596-6638.
August 25, 2008
HARVARD HEART IMAGING SPECIALIST JOINS BAPTIST, PUBLISHES TOP ARTICLE IN CIRCULATION FROM THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION: High-tech cardiac imaging is the key to the heart attack center of the future. That’s why Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute has installed state-of-the-art cardiac MR and CT equipment and assembled a team of national-level specialists, including radiologist Ricardo C. Cury, M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Cury was lead author of the top research article in a recent issue of Circulation, the nation’s most prestigious cardiology journal. He and his former Harvard colleagues also published a major cardiac imaging study in the August 1 issue of the journal Radiology. And, Dr. Cury co-published a third ground-breaking study in the August Journal of Nuclear Cardiology, this time in collaboration with leading Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute radiologists.
BACKGROUND AND CONTACT: Every year, six million chest-pain patients rush to ERs. It’s crucial to quickly distinguish those with pain caused by a chronic, but stable narrowing of the coronary arteries from those with an acute heart attack caused by a major clot that’s blocking blood flow to the heart. However, diagnosing a heart attack in progress is not as straightforward as you might think. A massive heart attack in a patient with many risk factors may be readily diagnosed by electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood tests for cardiac enzymes indicating heart injury. But a heart attack in the mild or moderate risk patient, and in women, may not quickly produce the same enzyme or ECG results.
In the heart attack center of the future, specialized radiologists equipped with state-of-the-art CT and MR imaging technology will help quickly diagnose heart attacks while sparing other patients the cost and stress of long waits and repeat testing. Institute radiologists are already leading a nationwide research effort to set forth the precise capabilities of powerful, new 64-slice CT and cardiac MR in ER triage of mild- and moderate- risk patients with chest pain. Much of the new research seeks to measure the imaging sensitivity and specificity of CT and MR versus proven tests and to develop precise clinical protocols for their use, including the best patient selection and prep, scanning time and equipment settings.
In his new Circulation study, Dr. Cury and his former colleagues found that a 30-minute, specialized MR protocol was able to distinguish a heart attack in progress from a past heart attack by identifying a specific pattern of edema, or swelling in the heart muscle. Dr. Cury’s team also found MR better than other tests at distinguishing a milder form of heart attack from unstable angina. In a scientific review he published with his team at the Institute, Dr. Cury also found confirmation in six previously published studies involving 400 patients that high-speed coronary CT angiography can accurately triage ER chest-pain patients, distinguishing those who need rapid treatment from those who can be discharged. Finally, in his August 1 Radiology study, Dr. Cury and his Harvard colleagues found that high-speed cardiac CT angiography can quickly and accurately detect the type of heart motion and circulation patterns found in a major heart attack.
Up to now, even high-tech scans have not routinely been able to distinguish a new from an old heart attack. Dr. Cury’s Circulation study showed that MR can detect new heart injury before the rise of cardiac enzymes, and that it was better at diagnosing heart attack than traditional cardiac risk factors and clinical risk assessment. For more information and to speak to Dr. Cury about the heart attack center of the future, please contact Anne Smith asmith@baptisthealth.net 786-596-6534.
August 20, 2008
CHOOSING DOUBLE MASTECTOMY LIKE CHRISTINA APPLEGATE: Television and movie star Christina Applegate made the stunning decision to have a double-mastectomy after being diagnosed with early-stage cancer in one breast. But five years ago, Karen, a 40-year-old Miami mother of two decided to remove two healthy breasts even before any cancer developed. Both women made the same difficult decision because they tested positive for a high-risk gene mutation that is handed down from mother to daughter. Mutations in the BRCA 1 or 2 genes are among the most fearsome in medicine because they are linked to an extremely high risk of breast and ovarian cancer. That risk weighed too heavily on Karen, who lost her mother to breast cancer at 14 and wanted to protect her two sons from the same experience. Double mastectomies for cancer prevention are up as much as 150 percent between 1998 and 2003, according to recent studies. To interview Karen about her mastectomy and reconstruction, and talk to an expert from Baptist-South Miami Regional Cancer Program Genetic Risk Education Service, where Karen received counseling and testing, please contact Phyllis Teitelbaum 786-596-5671.
BACKGROUND: The Baptist-South Miami Regional Cancer Program Genetic Risk Education Service provides personalized genetic education to individuals concerned about their risk for hereditary breast, ovarian, colorectal, endometrial cancer and melanoma. The educational service is free and genetic testing is available for a fee that is usually covered by insurance. Financial aid is also available for low- income women who can’t pay or lack insurance.
August 5, 2008
1. FEELING PREEMIES’ PAIN: Medical advances have led to an average of 16 procedures per day that may cause pain or stress to premature infants in hospital neonatal intensive care units, according to a recent French study. Baptist Health neonatal units already follow several recommendations in the study to protect these most vulnerable patients. For example, nurses supervise and bundle the number of “heel sticks” and other procedures each infant will undergo per day and jealously guard deep sleep time when medical staff are not allowed to disturb the infant. They also use topical painkillers and therapies like sucrose (sugar) drops and swaddling that harness the baby’s natural pain-fighting brain chemistry and mimic comforting conditions in the womb.
BACKGROUND AND CONTACTS: The French study, published July 3 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that almost all procedures performed on babies in neonatal units during the first four weeks after birth are either painful or stressful due to the hypersensitivity of infants who normally would still be in the womb. In addition, the study found that pain-relieving drugs and therapies like sucrose or swaddling were used only about 20 percent of the time in Paris-area hospitals. The most common painful procedures were “heel sticks,” nasal or tracheal suction to remove fluid, and the removal of adhesive tapes or bandages. The study urgently recommended finding ways to reduce the number of medical interventions on preemies without lowering chances for survival or the quality of care. To discuss preemie pain and stress relief at Baptist Health hospitals, please contact Martha Martin martham@baptisthealth.net 786-662-4186 or Barbara Moore barbaram@baptisthealth.net 786-596-6638.
2. (BACK)PACKING KIDS’ BOOKS & BODIES BACK TO SCHOOL: It’s the time of year when thousands of little “backpack-letes” haul themselves and their gear back to school. But how much pack weight is actually safe to put on a small and growing spine, day in and day out? And for those other athletes returning to school sports, how fast should kids get back into team training after a long off-season when they haven’t kept up their cardio conditioning?
To speak to an expert on a safe return to school athletics and backpacking that’s safe for kids’ backs, please contact Barbara Moore barbaram@baptisthealth.net 786-596-6638 or Elsa Figueredo elsaf@baptisthealth.net 786-308-3410.
July 1, 2008
1. SOUTH MIAMI HEART CENTER GIVES DEFIBRILLATORS TO NASSAU SCHOOLS:
The recent death of TV journalist Tim Russert from cardiac arrest underscores the lifesaving potential of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs). The US House of Representatives recently established a $220 million grant program to fund AEDs in public schools. And, last year, South Miami Heart Center funded the placement of 489 AEDs in public schools throughout Miami-Dade County, including both the devices and training on how to use them. Now, the Heart Center is donating AEDs to schools in Nassau, Bahamas. For interviews and information, please contact Bethany Rundell bethanyr@baptisthealth.net 786-662-5015.
2. ULTRASOUND IS SAFE, INEXPENSIVE, ACCURATE TEST FOR OSTEOPORISIS: A new study finds that a risk score based on an ultrasound scan of the heel bone, plus risk factors like age, can effectively identify people who need high-tech X-ray testing for osteoporosis. Baptist Health hospitals and outpatient locations offer $15 heel ultrasound scans throughout the year.
BACKGROUND AND CONTACT: Osteoporosis rates are set to climb dramatically as baby boomers age. Effective medical therapies exist to slow or stop bone loss and prevent fractures. Yet many don’t receive preventive therapy because they don’t have access to the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) testing that can measure bone density with 98-99 percent accuracy and is the gold standard for diagnosing osteoporosis. In a study published in the July issue of the journal Radiology, patients identified as high-risk via a simpler heel ultrasound, combined with personal risk factors, had a three-fold greater likelihood of hip fractures compared with low-risk-score patients. This suggests that screening with inexpensive, radiation-free ultrasound can help identify patients who could benefit from DXA testing and drug therapy. For more information, visuals, or to report on having a scan yourself, please contact Amanda Gonzalez amandag@baptisthealth.net 786-596-7284.
June 4, 2008
LIVE WEBCAST FROM DOCTORS HOSPITAL WILL FEATURE TORN ROTATOR CUFF REPAIR: A torn rotator cuff is a painful and increasingly common shoulder injury for both young athletes and active, but aging baby boomers. Now minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery makes rotator cuff repair less painful and traumatic than ever before. To see how the surgery works, tune in to a live webcast in English and Spanish from Doctors Hospital at 4 p.m. June 18 by going to www.baptisthealth.net. John Uribe, M.D., renowned orthopedic surgeon, team physician for the Florida Panthers, and medical director of the Center of Orthopedics & Sports Medicine at Doctors Hospital, will perform the surgery. The webcast will be moderated by Tampa Bay Buccaneers team physician, orthopedic surgeon John Zvijac, M.D.
BACKGROUND AND CONTACT: Rotator cuffs tears are usually found in the shoulder of the dominant arm, and can result in severe and debilitating pain whenever the arm is lifted or rotated from the shoulder joint. Tears in the four rotator tendons can be either traumatic--for example, from a sports injury--or degenerative. In fact, the highest incidence is in people over 60, with repetitive motion from the rubbing of bone spurs against the tendons producing cumulative damage over many years. For more information about the Webcast, please contact Elsa Figueredo elsaf@baptisthealth.net 786-308-3410.
May 20, 2008
THE NUMBERS ARE IN -- ELECTRONIC ‘EYES’ HELP KEEP ICU PATIENTS ALIVE: For the first time since Baptist Health spent millions to set up round-the-clock high-tech monitoring of intensive care patients, hard data prove this technology saves lives. National data released today show that critical care patients being monitored at 156 hospitals using an electronic ICU system are 30 percent less likely to die than the average ICU patient. Baptist Health has the only South Florida hospitals in the group of 156. Moreover, our own mortality data show that every 35 hours, we are now saving one life that otherwise would have been lost. To see the national print and multimedia news release from VISICU, Inc., please click here.
BACKGROUND AND CONTACT: Baptist Health’s Lifeguard system streams up-to-the minute vital signs and other clinical data from the patient’s bedside to a team of intensive care nurses and physicians at our control center in Doral. In this way, our most fragile patients are monitored 24/7 by a second set of eyes, and our specialists in Doral can alert the bedside team at the slightest change in a patient’s condition. The system also saves lives by crunching data to show caregivers, in real-time, exactly how well they are following quality initiatives. For example, real-time reports have helped caregivers take steps to reduce deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism and better manage dangerous fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Specialized software even uses artificial intelligence to track and predict changes in vital signs that could lead to trouble. It’s all part of Baptist Health’s campaign to raise the bar on quality of care. To speak to our medical director and a patient, please contact Martha Martin martham@baptisthealth.net 786-662-4186.
April 29, 2008
FEWER DREADED 'CALL-BACKS' FOR DIGITAL MAMMOGRAPHY: Since it went totally digital in August 2005, screening mammography at Baptist Outpatient Services has bucked a national trend. The New York Times recently reported that as most health systems switch from film to digital mammography, they record an increase in false positives. These are stressful "call-backs" for women to come in and have repeat tests that ultimately turn out to be normal. Such a spike never occurred at Baptist. In fact, our overall "call-back" rate began dropping as soon as we implemented digital mammography, falling from around 20 percent in July 2005 to around 14 percent today.
BACKGROUND AND CONTACT: Breast cancer is the second most common in women. Every year, about 150,000 cases are diagnosed, and about 40,000 women die. In 2005, a major study showed that digital mammography-which displays breast images on a computer screen instead of X-ray film--significantly enhances radiologists' ability to find breast tumors in women under 50 and those with dense breast tissue. That's because computer technology allows radiologists to adjust contrast and magnification to see things that would have been blurry or invisible on film. However, seeing more than before often has the immediate result of more "call-backs" and repeat testing while radiologists get used to this new imaging system. To talk about how Baptist radiologists bucked the trend, and how digital mammography has revolutionized screen! ing for breast cancer, please contact Vanessa Lopez vanessal@baptisthealth.net 786-596-3404.
April 22, 2008
BAPTIST RESEARCHES PROMISING, NEW CORONARY STENT: Ramon Quesada, M.D., director of interventional cardiology at Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute, led the only team in our region to study a promising, new heart stent. The results of that national study, called SPIRIT III, will be published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association.
BACKGROUND AND CONTACT: In the JAMA study, embargoed until 4 p.m. today, patients who received the new XIENCE coronary stent had about 40 percent fewer heart attacks and follow-up heart procedures (4.6 percent vs. 8.1 percent) than patients receiving an older stent. The XIENCE stent is coated with everolimus, while the older stent is coated with paclitaxel. All drug coatings on stents are aimed at stopping the growth of scar tissue around the stent that may re-block the artery. Patients in the study were checked at nine and 12 months after receiving their stents. To interview Dr. Quesada and a patient, please contact Anne Smith asmith@baptisthealth.net 786-596-6534.