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HOPKINS AROUND THE WORLD |
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Events in Peru and Canada
Sharing new knowledge with the world is part of the mission of Johns Hopkins Medicine. To that end, Johns Hopkins Medicine International is hosting several events abroad in the coming weeks.
Send e-mail for details.
On Tuesday, March 29,
John McDonald, M.D., Ph.D., a pioneer in rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injury and
Patrick Byrne, M.D., a specialist in reconstructive plastic surgery, will speak on the latest advances in their fields in Lima, Peru.
On Wednesday, April 13, urologist
Arthur Burnett, a specialist in prostate cancer, and interventional radiologist
J. F. Geschwind, M.D., will speak in Toronto, Canada.
HEALTH NEWS
New Drug for Macular Degeneration
A new drug has been approved to treat the wet form of macular degeneration, a condition that may result in blindness in millions of people worldwide. But Hopkins ophthalmologist
Julia Haller says that although this new treatment is promising, it's not a cure.
"There's a natural tendency to hope that every new treatment is the magic bullet. The evidence so far is mostly that the drug seems to prevent progression rather than restoring vision. So, as in a lot of other diseases, it's important to
catch it early."
"Broken Heart" Syndrome
Hopkins researchers have discovered that sudden emotional stress can also result in severe but reversible heart muscle weakness that mimics a classic heart attack.
Patients with this condition, called stress cardiomyopathy but known colloquially as "broken heart" syndrome, are often misdiagnosed with a massive heart attack when, indeed, they have suffered from a days-long surge in adrenalin and other
stress hormones that temporarily "stun" the heart.
"Our study should help doctors distinguish between stress cardiomyopathy and heart attacks," says cardiologist
Ilan Wittstein, M.D. "And it should also reassure patients that they have not had permanent heart damage."
Advanced CT Scanner Avoids Surgical Inspection
Johns Hopkins has installed a 64-slice CT scanner, the most advanced of its kind, that produces precise diagnostic pictures in 5 to 10 seconds for patients having symptoms associated with heart attack.
In use since last month, the scanner is likely to replace many diagnostic angiograms or cardiac catheterizations, the current standard for diagnostic coronary imaging. The new scanner is one of two identical systems currently operating in
the United States.
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STAYING HEALTHY |
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Whatever Happened to Whole Body CT?
Are whole body CT scans a thing of the past? The New York Times recently reported that many of the freestanding clinics offering such exams have closed their doors. Hopkins radiologist
Eliot Fishman says we shouldn't close the books on whole body CT yet.
"At Hopkins, we believe that whole body CT has good potential in patient care but we've always been very strong in saying we will only scan patients who were referred by their physicians," says Dr. Fishman. He adds that whole body
screening should be part of a comprehensive evaluation. He also recommends that if you have a scan, ask for a copy of your exam on a CD so that it can be compared with later scans if needed.
Asthma in Pregnancy
Almost one in ten pregnant women has asthma, a condition that must be controlled during pregnancy to protect both mother and baby. New guidelines on management of asthma during pregnancy have just been issued and Hopkins asthma specialist
Franklin Adkinson says they represent the standard of care that women should insist upon.
"Since we have inhaled medications that control asthma in the vast majority of cases, there's really no reason to pit the mother's asthma medical needs against the child's needs," he says.
Dr. Adkinson hopes the new guidelines will increase awareness of asthma care among obstetricians and patients. With the rise in the number of people with asthma, the number of pregnant women with the condition is also likely to increase.
Modern Heart Devices Safe in MRI
Hopkins scientists have found that modern implanted heart devices--pacemakers and defibrillators--are safe for use in MRI machines. The findings make MRIs possible for millions of people with the devices so they can have scans for early
detection of cancer and other diseases when treatments are most likely to succeed.
In new guidelines for using MRI with this group of patients, the researchers caution that only modern devices--models from the past seven years--are safe in MRIs. They also recommend using low-energy-level scans (less than 2 watts per
kg), advise close monitoring by a cardiologist and a radiologist, and using MRIs only when clinically necessary.
INTERNET RESOURCES
Featured Condition: Prostate Cancer
Treating Cancer with Radiation: An interview with radiation oncologist Ted DeWeese. Dr. DeWeese devised the first gene therapy trial for prostate cancer using a common cold virus as a "smart bomb" targeting only cancer
cells while leaving normal cells alone.
The Brady Urological Institute: Learn about the latest methods of diagnosing and treating prostate cancer from the #1 ranked urology department in the United States.
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ON THE HORIZON |
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 Tune In for Treatment
According to Alex Nason, telemedicine needs to be experienced, not talked about. Two minutes later, using simple videoconferencing equipment, he establishes simultaneous live connections with hospitals in Cork, Dublin and Belfast,
Ireland. The Irish network, which links 29 pediatric centers, is the world's first national telemedicine system, and doctors on the network call in from 2,500 miles away to consult face-to-face with Hopkins specialists.
According to experts, this method of providing long-distance, top-notch medical care will play a larger role as patients and insurers demand more cost-efficient medical care. Nason, who directs telemedicine activities for Johns Hopkins
Medicine International, has used the technology in everything from simple consultations and second opinions to telesurgery, in which a surgeon collaborates with another surgeon operating on a patient thousands of kilometers away or,
eventually, in space.
Other uses of the technology include interpretation of radiology results on doctor's personal computers, interactive medical lectures, and monitoring of healthcare services for jailed inmates.
HATS OFF...AND ON!
As snow fell on the streets of Baltimore on a recent Friday afternoon, the staff of
Johns Hopkins Medicine International decided to liven things up with an impromptu "Hat Day." Pass the mouse over the photograph if you don't recognize the wearer.
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