New weapon against heart failure
(Published: 02/19/2007, WebMD) In a recent study, researchers at the Center for Translational Medicine at Jefferson Medical
College have used gene therapy to prevent heart failure in animals by blocking an enzyme that regulates the release of fight-or-flight
hormones in the adrenal gland. Reporting in the journal Nature Medicine, Walter Koch, Ph.D., W.W. Smith Professor of Medicine
and director of the Center for Translational Medicine and his co-workers discovered that when the heart begins to fail, a
protein called GRK2 is released from the andrenal gland, shutting down its ability to keep levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine
normal. Blocking GRK2 restored the gland's balance, halting the stimulant hormone production and allowing the heart to relax
and heal.
Medicine
Media Coverage:
WebMD
UPI
TJU Puts 64-Slice CT in ED
(Published: 02/15/2007, Imaging Economics) Place a CT scanner in the emergency department (ED), and physicians will use it.
Research has shown that CT utilization increases when the equipment is available in the ED. In fact, a paper presented at
RSNA 2006 reported that growth in the utilization rate of CT in the ED outpaced that of patient volume. These presentations
had not been made when Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (TJU), Philadelphia, installed a Brilliance 64-slice CT from Philips
Medical Systems, Andover, Mass, in the ED in October 2006. But by December, the hospital had already seen immediate improvements.
"We have improved patient care, convenience, and throughput," says Vijay Rao, MD, FACR, professor of radiology and department
chair at TJU.
Department of Radiology
Department of Emergency Medicine
Media Coverage:
Imaging Economics
Benchmark Zero for hospital acquired infection (HAI)
(Published: 02/12/2007, Nursing Specturm) One hospital acquired infection (HAI) is one too many, especially if you are the
patient. Imagine recuperating "almost the picture of health” only to relapse when microbes contaminate your Foley catheter,
or you're scheduled to have the ventilator removed but have developed ventilator-associated pneumonia. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 2 million patients a year contract HAI, also called nosocomial infections, during
the course of a hospital stay. Some 90,000 of these patients die in the U.S. each year, more than the number of people who
die each year from breast cancer or auto accidents.
Hospitals throughout Pennsylvania are forging ahead to reduce and prevent this grave patient safety problem. Grant recipient
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (TJUH), Philadelphia, is using funding to analyze ventriculostomy, the surgical creation
of an opening in the brain's ventricle to release pressure from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The goal is to eliminate chances
for infection in the neurosurgery population.
Department of Nursing
Division of Infectious Diseases
Media Coverage:
Nursing Specturm
Chemo Caps Knitted by the Blind for Cancer Patients
(Published: 02/07/2007, FOX 29) More than 50 handmade knitted caps were presented to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
for it's chemotherapy patients. The hats were made by the knitting club members from the Associated Services for the Blind
and Visually Impaired.
CancerCare at Jefferson
Medical Oncology
Surgery
Media Coverage:
Fox29
KYW Newsradio
Dangerous Cold Weather
(Published: 02/05/2007, CBS 3) With temperatures dipping into the single digits, many are warned to stay indoors. If you must
go outside in the frigid air, experts said it is important to take the proper precautions, like wearing multiple layers. Doctors
at area hospitals are gearing up for a busy time treating frostbite and hypothermia.
"This cold is definitely a risk, exposure time is varied depending on the patient, what they are doing at the time and how
well protected they are and other factors like drugs or alcohol," said Dr. Ralph Riviello of Jefferson University Hospital.
Emergency Medicine
Media Coverage:
CBS 3
Cardiovascular Disease
(Published 2/1/2007, CBS 3) Cardiovascular disease kills nearly a half a million women every year. Yet, detecting the disease
isn't always easy because the warning signs for women aren't always recognized.
Matthew DeCaro, M.D., cardiologist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital says symptoms in women can be different from what
men feel.
"If you're having symptoms that you think are potentially heart related you shouldn't wait at all,” he warns. “You need to
be seen right away. Because if in fact this is an acute coronary syndrome, minutes count."
Medicine
Cardiology
Media Coverage:
CBS 3
