Medicine in Blue and White: Episode 3
In this episode of “Medicine in Blue and White”:
- The incredible connection between one fourteen year old boy — and the thousands of people he has helped over the past forty years.
- Combining aerospace engineering and medical technology to help improve health care in developing countries.
- Never-before-seen-behavior under the microscope that could lead to a cure for some of the most challenging diseases we face.
- And a new way to test for what is — literally — an age-old problem.
January 26, 2012 at 8:20 am pennstatemedicine Leave a comment
The Grand Idea – Memories & Milestones
Part 3 – The Grand Idea
Sam Hinkle, President of Hershey Chocolate Corporation, was the driving force in envisioning the Medical Center and getting all the pieces in place with Penn State. Film footage from meetings discussing the vision is included in this segment.
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January 24, 2012 at 9:00 am pennstatemedicine Leave a comment
Beyond superheroes: Comics as a new genre for medical storytelling
Penn State College of Medicine may be the only place in the country where a fourth year medical student can take an elective Humanities course about comics titled “Graphic Storytelling and Medical Narratives.” But before you snort derisively, listen to Michael Green, M.D., professor in the Departments of Humanities and Medicine, explain why he created this course.
“Most people think comics are juvenile, silly, and frivolous, that it’s only about superheroes or funny cartoons,” Green said. “But I’m teaching about a specific, growing genre of graphic narratives that tell incredibly moving stories about serious topics.”
Even within this broad category, there is a growing number of individuals creating memoir-type stories related to medical issues–for instance, patients telling stories about their illnesses, medical providers sharing their experiences, and family members providing their perspectives on healthcare. As Green sees it, his course offers students an opportunity to learn and explore themes relevant to the practice of medicine. (more…)
History of Hershey – Memories & Milestones
Part 2 – History of Hershey
Milton S. Hershey created the town to serve as a town for the workers of his chocolate factory. The town of Hershey in the 1960′s was a community in transition.
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January 17, 2012 at 9:00 am pennstatemedicine Leave a comment
Introduction – Memories & Milestones
A new series of weekly video posts begins today.
Over the next 19 weeks, you’ll see a segment from “Memories & Milestones” which documents stories of pioneering efforts from the first five decades of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Through the efforts of its thousands of faculty, staff, and students, the Medical Center has endeavored to build upon the legacy of its namesake, Milton S. Hershey, and extend the substantial reach of its parent university, Penn State, to improve health and the quality of life.
Part 1 – Introduction
“There are many things about this place that make it special. But I think it’s mostly the people.”
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January 10, 2012 at 8:50 am pennstatemedicine Leave a comment
The journey of an IVC filter—from life-saving to life-altering
The medical journey that would lead Kaysee Kauer from Rapid City, South Dakota, to Hershey, Pennsylvania, began in the early morning hours of January 27, 2011.
“I woke up feeling like my whole right side was a charley horse,” the 38-year-old says. She stood up to alleviate what she thought was a cramp. But within seconds, the pain quickly escalated and it became clear she was dealing with something much worse. “I thought I was having a heart attack,” she says.
Kaysee Kauer and her son Dean.
Kauer beckoned to her 17-year-old daughter, Hailey, who called 911. Shortly after arriving at a South Dakota hospital, doctors told Kauer she had experienced a potentially fatal condition known as a pulmonary embolism: a “massive” blood clot had broken apart in her leg and migrated to her lungs.
In case more clots were still in her leg, doctors implanted an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter in Kaysee. The small umbrella-like filter has metal prongs that project outward to prevent clots from moving to the lungs by way of the IVC – the blood vessel that returns blood to the heart from the lower body.
About a month later, physicians in South Dakota decided it was time to remove the filter. But when they attempted to retrieve it, they discovered a complication: a small hook at one end of the filter had become lodged in the blood vessel wall. (more…)
Medicine In Blue and White: Episode 2
In this episode of “Medicine in Blue and White” as seen on the Big Ten Network:
- A high school athlete with a decision to make and a lot at stake.
- A retired cook meets the latest in surgical innovation.
- An account exec whose get up and go slowly got up and went and a social worker who never knew she had not one but two brain aneurysms.
- And pioneering the science of medicine itself.
December 9, 2011 at 11:56 am pennstatemedicine Leave a comment
FDA decides to revoke Avastin for breast cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has withdrawn its approval of Avastin, a drug commonly used in patients with advanced breast cancer. Dr. Leah Cream, an assistant professor of medicine at Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, gives her reaction to the decision and explains its significance for breast cancer patients and their doctors.
December 5, 2011 at 8:47 am pennstatemedicine Leave a comment
Penn State Hershey Life Lion: 25 years of critical care in the air
Penn State Hershey Life Lion Critical Care Transport is celebrating twenty-five years. The flight team reflects on how medical air services have changed and what’s ahead.
Somewhere a car crashes and someone is seriously injured. The clock starts ticking. Soon after, a familiar ritual begins to unfold at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center: the dispatcher answers the call, the pilot accepts the assignment, and the flight crew boards their helicopter. Minutes later, a blue Life Lion aircraft (helicopter) is lifting off.
For his twenty-four years at the Communications Center, Russell Chadwick set those life-saving missions in motion. As a dispatcher, Chadwick worked in the hub of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system—a network of board-certified emergency care physicians, the 911 dispatch system, fire, police, and ambulance services. It was a great experience, he says. “It all operated because of teamwork.”
Every year, Penn State Hershey Life Lion Critical Care Transport logs about 1,200 flights, transporting stroke and cardiac patients, accident and burn victims, and other gravely ill passengers. The program’s territory spans south-central Pennsylvania, but there’s no cutoff, says flight paramedic Mike Kurtz, who has been flying these missions for twenty-five years. “I have flown into eight states,” Kurtz says. “We set up landing zones almost anywhere, at ballparks, highways, and accidents.” (more…)
Medical Center starts fellowship in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery
Women’s health procedures are some of the most common surgical procedures done in the United States. In women’s surgery, about 60 percent of procedures performed in the U.S. are done with an open incision, which is called a laparotomy. However, there have been an increased number of patients who wish to have their procedures done with minimally invasive techniques. Providing patients with these advanced surgical techniques allows for a much shorter recovery time so the patient can get back to daily life more quickly. These procedures have less pain, less scarring, less blood loss, and fewer complications. Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is a leader in minimally invasive surgery for women’s health, and doctors saw the opportunity and the need to train more specialists in this area of expertise.
Gerald Harkins, M.D. and Janis Green, M.D.
Last fall, the Division of Urogynecology and Minimally Invasive Surgery in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical Center started a fellowship in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery. The fellowship, which is accredited by the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL), is designed to provide advanced training in modern laparoscopic surgery for OB-GYN resident graduates. It will allow opportunities for gynecologists who have completed residency to acquire additional skills and to conduct research in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, urogynecologic surgery, and reproductive surgery. Gerald Harkins, M.D. is the medical director and fellowship director for minimally invasive gynecological surgery.
Minimally invasive gynecologic surgery is used for common, yet complicated, procedures such as hysterectomies, ovarian conservation, and fertility preservation as well as for treatment of endometriosis, fibroids, congenital uterine abnormalities, and pelvic pain. Minimally invasive urogynecologic surgery can be used to treat incontinence and pelvic organ prolapses. . Harkins and his team are able to use minimally invasive techniques for all women’s health surgical procedures using advanced equipment, such as the da Vinci SI surgical system. Teaching fellows these techniques will allow for a large wave of change in women’s surgery. Being able to have fellows come to the medical center to receive training then return to other hospitals will have an impact on more women in the United States.
September 12, 2011 at 10:19 am pennstatemedicine Leave a comment
