Lawrence Lenke, MD, Named New Spinal Surgery Chief

2012/02/23

Congratulations to Lawrence Lenke, MD. In an announcement from Washington University School of Medicine, Dr. Lenke was named chief of spinal surgery at Washington University Orthopedics at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. From the release:

“Larry Lenke is an outstanding surgeon, researcher and educator, and I am confident he will lead the spine division to new levels of excellence,” says Richard H. Gelberman, MD, the Fred C. Reynolds Professor and head of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Dr. Lenke sees pediatric and adult patients requiring spinal surgery. His practice is devoted spinal surgery, with an emphasis on complex reconstructive surgery and the treatment of various spinal deformities such as scoliosis, kyphosis, spondylolisthesis, and many other anomalies of the spine.

For more information about treatment of spinal injuries at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, click here or for more about Dr. Lenke, watch this video:

 

-Jason Merrill

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New Therapies Helping People with Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

2012/02/20

The first FDA-approved fenestrated endovascular abdominal aortic vascular graft for Phase II of the multicenter prospective trial was implanted in 2009 by Luis Sanchez, MD, and Patrick Geraghty, MD.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are a very serious issue. Looking at them, they appear like a bulge in the aorta in the abdomen, and the size of the bulge can is an indicator of how weak the aortic wall has become. If there is no treatment for a large aneurysm, it may continue to expand until it bursts – a life-threatening event.

Over the past few years, Luis Sanchez, MD, Washington University vascular surgery chief at Barnes-Jewish, has been studying use of a new treatment called fenestrated stenting to take care of AAA.

The new devices feature small openings — fenestrations — and are strategically positioned to allow blood to pass into the renal arteries. But when Dr. Sanchez and his colleagues began doing this, it was a challenge to place fenestrated stents because blood vessel anatomy varies from person to person. So now, fenestrated stents are custom-made for each patient, based on measurements and images taken by vascular surgeons Dr. Sanchez and Gregorio A. Sicard, MD, who serves as the principal investigator of a trial testing these endovascular devices.

The clinical trial is currently in its extended phase, continuing to enroll patients who fit the criteria as the device awaits final approval from the FDA. For more, watch this video here:

-Jason Merrill

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Concussions Are Brain Injuries — Know The Symptoms

2012/02/17

 

Sports medicine specialist Mark Halstead, MD, is known for his work in treating concussions in young athletes

Concussion awareness has probably never been higher. As a lifelong fan of the NFL, it’s been interesting to see the game change from one where hits to the head were celebrated, to one where hits to the head can lead to suspension. And that’s at the professional level. That says nothing about the young athletes at the high school level who can suffer dangerous injury from a hit to the head.

It’s because concussions are nothing to mess around with. According to our Mark Halstead, MD, a sports medicine expert with Washington University Orthopedics, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, concussions are ”an injury to the brain,” he says.

Last night, KSDK talked with Dr. Halstead about the impact of conussions:

“We do know that if you have repetitive concussions, you’re more likely to have more severe symptoms or more likely to have one than the person who’s never had one before,” Halstead said. “Someone who’s had three concussions is nine times more likely to have symptoms that are worse than someone who’s had one for the first time.”

Recently, Dr. Halstead participated in a study in the journal Pediatrics that said childhood concussions have doubled, even as sports participation has gone down.

So it’s important to know concussion symptoms:

  • Loss of Consciousness (although most concussions don”t involve being “knocked out”)headache
  • Feeling Dizzy/Foggy/Slow
  • Trouble thinking, remembering, or concentrating
  • Nausea/Vomiting
  • Drowsiness/Decreased energy
  • Ringing in the ears
  • Slurred Speech

For more information about concussions, visit our website here.

-Jason Merrill

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Heart Disease Questions – We’re Here to Help

2012/02/16

February is American Heart Month and it’s an opportunity for people to be more aware of their heart disease risk. To get answers about your own risk, we have an opportunity for you to get your questions answered.

Tonight between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., experts from the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Heart & Vascular Center will take your calls about heart disease. We’ll be at KSDK/NewsChannel 5 and the number to call will be 314-969-8055 and we’ll also be available to chat with you live at KSDK.com.

We look forward to hearing from you.

In the meantime, take this heart disease prevention quiz here to find out your own risk factors.

-Jason Merrill

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First Transcather Aortic Valve Patient — Four Years Later

2012/02/13

Florissant native Mary Ann Cahalin was back at Barnes-Jewish Hospital today for her four year checkup, looking good and feeling great. On January 17, 2008, Cahalin became the first patient in the region to recieve a transcatheter aortic valve replacement in the PARTNER trial.

In the procedure, Washington University physicians replace aortic valves without opening a patient’s chest. They instead thread a catheter, mounted with a compressed replacement valve on a tiny balloon, through an incision in an artery in the groin. Once in position, a stent-like valve is inflated in the aorta and the balloon and catheter are withdrawn.

This is considered a major breakthrough in the world of heart disease treatment. Avoiding a sternotomy with something this complex was something considered pie in the sky ten years ago. Today, it’s a reality.

You can find out more about Mary Ann in stories airing this week on KSDK as part of our “Medical Breakthroughs” series you’ll see over the next three months on the NBC affiliate. Also, this Thursday between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., members of the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Heart & Vascular Center will be at KSDK to take your questions on heart disease.

For more about transcatheter valve and Mary Ann, watch this video:

-Jason Merrill

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Not Too Late To Get Your Flu Shot

2012/02/10

For those who haven’t done so already, it’s not too late to get your flu shot. But don’t wait too much longer.

According to the Associated Press:

 ”St. Louis County health officials reported 122 new cases of the flu for the week ending Feb. 5 – more than double the 52 cases from the previous week. Two weeks ago, there were just 17 new cases. For the season, St. Louis County has recorded 279 confirmed cases of influenza. Most were Type A, and those who were sick were largely in the ages 2 to 14 category.”

At Barnes-Jewish, we have seen an uptick in cases as well. Steve Lawrence, MD, Washington University infectious disease specialist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital told KMOX Radio’s Fred Bodimer, “We’re likely to see flu activity for at least the next four to six weeks. We’re just at the beginning of the epidemic curve, as we call it, and if people were to get a flu vaccine particularly in the next week or two there’s plenty of time for it to take effect.”

So get out there and roll up your sleeve. And remember next flu season, we at Barnes-Jewish supply flu shots at no cost to the St. Louis community every October. for a look back at what we do, watch this from October 2011:

-Jason Merrill

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