Johns Hopkins Medicine
MEDICAL NEWS UPDATE E-NEWSLETTER
Vol. 1. No. 1, September 2006
Welcome to the inaugural issue of the monthly electronic newsletter for clinical news from Johns Hopkins Medicine. This news service will provide you and your readers with interesting information about new surgical procedures, diagnostic methods and technologies.
For more information on any story, click the accompanying hyperlink. Each link will provide you with story content and photos.
IN THIS ISSUE:
- ALTERNATIVE TO CHEST SURGERY FOR HEART ATTACK PATIENTS
- WHEN AGE ISN’T THE PROBLEM
- SURGEON TO THE SENIORS
- LET THERE BE LIGHT --- FROM ARTIFICIAL RETINAS
- PUTTING PAIN UNDER WRAPS
- SURGICAL PLUG IN EAR’S BONE STOPS STRANGE FORM OF SEVERE DIZZINESS
ALTERNATIVE TO CHEST SURGERY FOR HEART ATTACK PATIENTS
For those who are unable to withstand the open-chest surgery required to implant a right ventricular assist device, another solution is available. Cardiologists at Johns Hopkins are now using an external left ventricular assist (VAD) device. These VADs, which do not require surgical implantation, take over for the heart's main pumping chamber to deliver blood to the body.
WHEN AGE ISN’T THE PROBLEM
Incontinence, memory lapses, slow body movements. These are all certain signs of aging, right? Not necessarily. Adult hydrocephalus could be the culprit. Caused by excess fluid in the brain, this condition produces blockages that hinder the brain’s ability to communicate with the rest of the body. But a CT scan could show early signs of “water on the brain,” Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
SURGEON TO THE SENIORS
Is surgery still an option for people over 80 who have lung cancer? Yes, according to a Johns Hopkins thoracic surgeon, who says improvements in lung cancer procedures now offer hope to those who have been turned away by other doctors or told that there are no other medical alternatives.
LET THERE BE LIGHT --- FROM ARTIFICIAL RETINAS
For people who suffer from the loss of night or peripheral vision caused by the degeneration of the retina (the light-sensing part of the eye), tiny computer chips might hold promise for a clearer future. Ophthalmologists and researchers at John Hopkins see a hopeful trend for patients with retinitis pigmentosa.
PUTTING PAIN UNDER WRAPS
For years, researchers have been trying to find a cure for lower back pain, which causes employees to miss more time from work than any other condition. Now according to a Johns Hopkins study, continuous low-level heat therapy may be a simple answer for many seeking lower back bliss.
SURGICAL PLUG IN EAR’S BONE STOPS STRANGE FORM OF SEVERE DIZZINESS
Rapid, uncontrollable eye movements that swish and thump as the eyes roll and blink. Bones that creak as the body moves. Sudden dizziness, loss of balance. Falling down after a loud noise, such as the sound of your own voice, a cough or even laughter. These are hallmarks of a debilitating and relatively rare syndrome known as superior canal dehiscence, that has stumped clinicians for a long time.
Comments, questions, or requests to be added to or deleted from the distribution list, can be sent to John Lazarou in Media Relations and Public Affairs (mednews@jhmi.edu).
To view all Johns Hopkins Medicine press releases, please visit:
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/index.html
-JHM-
