Nice stethoscope. Now, learn to use it
(Published 1-30-06, Los Angeles Times) The stethoscope may be a staple of the medical profession. But as a tool of the trade,
many veteran physicians fear it is becoming a useless prop of doctorhood.
“A lot of people have talked about the lost soul of medicine, how medicine has changed,” says Salvatore Mangione, M.D., associate
professor of pulmonary and critical care at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. “The demise of the bedside
examination and the refuge we seek in powerful technology is a symptom of that — we're becoming more technicians and less
healers.”
As few as 20 percent of new doctors and 40 percent of practicing primary-care doctors can discern the difference between a
healthy and a sick heart by simply listening to the heartbeat with a stethoscope. As a means of compensating for a lack of
proficiency with a stethoscope, many physicians are calling for an echocardiograph— basically an ultrasound imaging of the
beating heart that can cost up to $1,000 a shot.
“The stethoscope is really a symbol of medicine. And to have a symbol of medicine become a vestigial device is very surprising,”
Howard Weitz, M.D., associate professor of cardiology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University says.
Department of Medicine
Division of Cardiology
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergic and Immunologic
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Cancer Care Across the U.S.
(Published 1-26-06, ABC News) The ABC News invited cancer centers and hospitals around the country to provide summaries of
their programs or research aimed at helping cancer patients deal with the emotional factors of their disease. These summaries
are designed to help cancer patients and their loved ones identify resources or programs in their city that might be helpful
and to provide a look at what is being offered around the country.
Click on the link just below and direct your mouse over to Pennsylvania on the United States map to read about the Kimmel
Cancer Center at Jefferson.
Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson
CancerCare at Jefferson
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ABC News
Frankford Mom Charged In Infant Son's Death
(Published 1-23-06, CBS3) A Frankford woman faces charges in the Monday drowning death of her infant son.
Investigators are still awaiting autopsy results, but said a preliminary investigation reportedly suggests that three-month-old
Marion Currie was drowned in the bathtub of the family home at 4900 block of Charles Street.
According to neighbors, 24-year-old mother Lea Currie suffers from cerebral palsy and was struggling with postpartum depression
and the loss of her own mother nearly a year ago to suicide.
“At least ten-percent of woman suffer from postpartum depression at some time in their life,” said Dr. Elisabeth Kunkel, a
psychiatrist with Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and vice chair of Psychiatry, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson
University.
Extra: Watch an extended online interview with Dr. Kunkel by going to the link below
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
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CBS3
Jefferson Orthopaedic Surgeons Studying Artifical Disc Replacement
(Published 1-23-06, WDEL-AM(1150AM)) If you suffer from chronic shoulder and arm pain, help could come from a new therapy
now being studied by Todd Albert, M.D., vice chair of orthopedic surgery at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, and
a spine surgeon at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
Dr. Albert says that as we age, water content in the soft, rubbery discs between our vertebrae goes down, which can cause
the discs, including those in the cervical, or neck area, to lose their shock-absorbing properties. "When they herniate or
wear out, they can press on the nerves coming in through the neck and/or the spinal cord, and that can cause a lot of problems
for people." Albert and other researchers are testing an artificial disc, which he says can be inserted without cutting muscle,
making the patient's recovery time much faster than that for treatments like spinal fusions.
Extra: Listen online to Dr. Albert's interview by going to link below for WDEL
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
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People in Constant, Agonizing Pain Have a Tough Time Getting Medication Due to Government Concerns About Drug Abuse.
(Published 1-22-06, Reading Eagle) The National Institutes of Health lists ongoing pain as America's leading cause of disability,
costing employers up to $100 billion a year in lost wages and productivity, Even today, it is unclear how much pain a person
is experiencing, which could be why nearly two-thirds of these people trudge through life undermedicated and living unnecessarily
in constant pain, according to a 2003 survey by Peter D. Hart Research Associates. Yet swirling in the gulf between this growing
group of people in pain and the care they need is a confluence of ideas and arguments about how to treat them. And often conflicting
interests of physicians, law enforcement and federal regulators prevent patients from receiving effective medicine -- usually
powerful opiates such as morphine, codeine and synthetic narcotics such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin and Tylox. A law-enforcement
official says the government is only trying to stop drug abuse.
Tough policies also have forced doctors and pharmacists into the unwelcome role of enforcing drug laws, Dr. Mitchell K. Freedman
said. Freedman is medical director of pain management at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in
Philadelphia. He said he writes about five to 10 prescriptions for narcotic drugs each week, and he secondguesses his patients
and his decisions more than ever. Is the patient's pain complaint legitimate or is it an addict's ruse to get narcotics? "The
world was made for a physician to be fooled," Freedman said. "I'm not supposed to be a police officer, but it turns us into
that sometimes. "I always hesitate because of it (strict policies)."
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
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Reading Eagle
It's a Profession to Last a Lifetime
(Published 1-19-06, The Jewish Exponent) Howard Rogovitz, R.N., a Thomas Jefferson University Hospital nurse manager in the
Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience’s Post Anesthesia Care Unit said he was “in and out of colleges, and looking for a way
to have a stable career. I decided that as a nurse, I would always have a job. Also, it's a nice feeling to help people, even
if that sometimes get clichéd.”
“The best part of nursing is dealing with patients,” said Rogovitz. “I love to just sit and talk with them: The patients relax,
and I get to know them. We both get something out of it.”
He sees a bright future for nursing. “More and more people will be needing hospitals.”
Rogovitz said he encourages young people to go into nursing. “Once you're a nurse, you're always a nurse. I tell them that
it's a profession that will last a lifetime.”
Jefferson Nursing
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The Jewish Exponent
Obesity Linked to Alzheimer's Disease Protein
(Published 1-10-06, Reuters) A new study conducted at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia shows that as body fat increases,
so do blood levels of a protein fragment linked to Alzheimer's disease.
"We found that obesity by itself, even in otherwise healthy middle-aged people, is associated with elevated levels of the
amyloid peptide that builds up and causes Alzheimer's," explained Sam Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Farber Institute
for Neurosciences of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and one of the study's central authors.
"Amyloid is normally made all throughout the body at various lengths," Gandy explained. "This particular form is believed
to be the form that initiates build-up of amyloid plaques in the brain."
Dr. Gandy and his colleagues investigated whether levels of the peptide, plasma amyloid-beta 42, were related to body mass
index (BMI) or fat mass in 18 healthy adults. A direct correlation between the levels of amyloid-beta 42 in the bloodstream
and the body mass index was found.
Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience
Department of Neurology
Farber Institute for Neurosciences
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Drug Slows Alzheimer's Progression
(1-9-06) A drug approved to treat moderate to severe forms of Alzheimer's disease appears to slow progression of the illness
by nearly 50 percent for up to one year, a new study found. Although the drug is the only one approved for use by patients
with severe Alzheimer's, it is thought Namenda might benefit patients in the early stages of the disease as well.
"The good news is that the drug's benefit, albeit modest, lasts longer than previously documented," said Sam Gandy, M.D.,
Ph.D., director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
"One wonders whether the drug might be showing some disease-modifying properties that were not seen with shorter-term uses,"
he added. "More basic and clinical work will need to be done before one can draw this conclusion, but more investigation is
warranted.”
Farber Institute for Neurosciences
Department of Neurology
Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience
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Side Effects of Anti-Inflammatories
(Published 1-9-06, KYW-TV(CBS)) Anti-inflammatories are taken by millions of Americans every day, including Vice-President
Dick Cheney. Yet, warns Marc Tecce, M.D., cardiologist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, they do have some side effects
people who take them should be aware of.
Anti-inflammatories are used to reduce painful swelling customarily for things like arthritis and headaches. “In healthy people
they do not typically cause a problem,” Dr. Tecce clarified, “although for people with heart disease, such as the Vice-President,
anti-inflammatories may have some side effects. The most common side effect customarily attributed to anti-inflammatories
is an upset stomach.
“They also tend to decrease the amount of blood flow to the kidney which can cause a fluid buildup.” The fluid build-up and
shortness or breath are often related to the heart and apparently the reasons why Vice-President Cheney was rushed to the
hospital.
Department of Medicine
Division of Cardiology
HeartCARE at Jefferson
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KYW-TV(CBS)
30 Days To A Better You: Reducing Stress
(Published 1-6-06, KYW-TV(CBS)) “In through the nose, out through the mouth,” said Diane Reibel, Ph.D., a stress reduction
specialist with the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center for Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University.
Dr. Reibel was describing the method taught in her Mindful Meditation classes. She said meditation is one of the best ways
to lessen day-in, day-out stress.
As part of her eight-week stress reduction program, Dr. Reibel asks patients to follow their breathing, and to be mindful
of what is happening in the present moment.
Another way to relieve stress is working out, she suggests.
“The types of exercise that would be most helpful are those that would really engage your mind and body at the same time,”
Dr. Reibel said. “So for example, yoga, where the mind is really resting on the stretches as you’re doing it.”
Department of Emergency Medicine
Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center for Integrative Medicine
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KYW-TV(CBS)
Best of the best
(Published 1-6-06, Medical Imaging) Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia has been ranked among the top ten hospitals
in the United States in the field of radiology by Medical Imaging, a leading national magazine.
The Medical Imaging Industry Top 10 also ranked six Jefferson University Hospital specialists--the only experts in Philadelphia
to be among the honorees. Jefferson University Hospital was ranked third in the nation for radiological services. In addition,
several of Jefferson’s experts were ranked number one in their categories.
Department of Radiology
Department of Radiation Oncology
CancerCARE at Jefferson
Breast Imaging Division
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Heart Scan for Health
(Published 1-6-06, KWY) A high tech tool is being used to search out calcium plaque, a newly discovered bad boy in the war
against heart disease.
The CT scan produces something called a calcium score.
The specialized x-ray machine takes detailed pictures of the heart and blood vessels.
Dr. Ethan Halpern, a radiologist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, said the fast improving technology is being used
in conjunction with traditional measures like blood pressure and cholesterol to determine someone’s risk.
“The calcium score adds additional information, above and beyond that which they would get from traditional risk factor evaluation,”
said Dr. Halpern.
Department of Radiology
Division of Cardiology
HeartCARE at Jefferson
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Sharon Undergoes All-Night Surgery
(Published 1-5-06, 6ABC(Ch.6)) Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was in serious condition following seven hours of emergency surgery
to stop widespread bleeding in his brain caused by a life-threatening stroke, doctors said.
Jefferson Hospital's Chair of Neurosurgery Robert Rossenwasser, M.D., FACP, talks to 6ABC News about Sharon's surgery and
his prognosis.
You can watch Dr. Rossenwasser's interview in an online video by going to 6ABC's web site.
Department of Neurosurgery
Jefferson Acute Stroke Center
Department of Neurology
Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience
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6ABC(Ch.6)
Hidden danger is coming into focus
(Published 1-4-05, The Philadelphia Inquirer) Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder, often goes unrecognized or misdiagnosed,
sometimes for decades. Until recently, doctors thought the condition affected only about one in 10,000 people and was confined
mostly to childhood. It is now estimated that as many as three million people are affected.
The overwhelming majority of people with the affliction are unaware they have the condition, often because they don't have
the textbook symptoms. Most patients "have a lot of subtle things," said Anthony DiMarino, M.D., director of Gastroenterology
and Hepatology, in the department of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
With celiac disease, the body's immune system goes awry and attacks itself. People are born with a genetic predisposition,
but it takes an environmental trigger, such as gluten, to initiate it.
Following a gluten-free diet, however, isn't easy. Emily Rubin, R.D., a registered dietitian in the division of Gastroenterology
and Hepatology, likes to focus first on what patients can eat - fruits, vegetables, meat, potatoes and rice. "When a patient
is first diagnosed, they are sort of in denial, because it involves a change in lifestyle," Rubin said. "It can be overwhelming
at first."
Department of Medicine
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
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Man regains feeling in leg, focus on life
(Published 1-4-05, Courier Post) When Jacob Kleeman scalded his foot in the shower, it was time to party.
Feeling the heat -- feeling anything, for that matter -- was one of a series of milestones for Kleeman, whose right leg was
crushed when he was struck by a motorcycle while crossing Route 38 on Aug. 17, 2004.
"I called my mom and said, 'I can feel my foot,'" Kleeman, 18, recalled of that day in October.
Kleeman's first milestone was simply keeping the leg. He had shattered his tibia and fibula, severed a major artery and suffered
significant nerve damage.
He planned to undergo surgery in Norfolk, Va., with the goal to repair the nerves and restore some feeling and movement. That
would have involved rebreaking bones, including his pelvis, to transplant working nerves, said Leslie Kleeman, Jacob's mother.
Then the family met Dr. Emran Sheikh, a surgeon.
"I changed the plan," said Sheikh, 31.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
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A Cool-Cap spared James Pyrih serious injury at birth
(Published 1-2-06, The Philadelphia Inquirer) James Pyrih had no heartbeat at birth, and it took doctors and nurses about
15 minutes to resuscitate him. He was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital,
where he was outfitted with a tiny plastic cap through which cold water is filtered.
By using the Cool-Cap to lower the temperature of James' brain, doctors at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital hoped to prevent
damage stemming from the lack of oxygen and perhaps spare him a lifetime of disability.
Today, James is 7 months old and doing all the normal baby things. He passed his latest checkup with flying colors. "His neuromotor
exam and his developmental exam were both on target for his age," said Shobhana Desai, M.D., a neonatologist at Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital.
Theresa Pyrih credits the Cool Cap for her son’s good fortune.
Department of Pediatrics
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Coronary CT workups save time, money Appropriate patients can avoid hours-long procedures
(Published 01-02-06, News Journal (DE)) In 1998, Dr. Charles Wagner, a family physician in Milton, had a cardiac catheterization
exam that revealed minor heart disease. A month ago, he started having chest pains. With a family history of heart disease,
Wagner, 61, wasn't surprised. But he didn't have the time or energy to put himself through a stress test to determine the
extent of his condition.
Wagner also didn't want to undergo another invasive angiography, which would require a catheter to be inserted into his groin.
Instead, he opted for a new screening procedure using computed tomography to quickly assess his condition.
A coronary CT angiography also is useful in viewing the soft plaque that is most responsible for heart attacks, said Dr. Ethan
Halpern, professor of radiology and director of cardiac CT imaging at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
The plaque -- named because it is unstable and prone to breaking off into the bloodstream -- cannot be detected with stress
tests or an angiography.
Department of Radiology
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